


The worst of tears will someday transform to happiness...

by DisneyBroadway123



Category: Fruits Basket (Anime), Fruits Basket - Takaya Natsuki (Manga)
Genre: Domestic Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Music, Other, Singing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-06
Updated: 2017-11-06
Packaged: 2019-01-30 03:54:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 34,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12645576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisneyBroadway123/pseuds/DisneyBroadway123
Summary: Keiko Sohma has spent her entire life being dejected by her mother and taught that she was a waste of space. Her last resort of leaving that home and becoming her own free person was to move away from that home. She moves in with her cousins Yuki and Kyo her two best friends. This is her story of recovery and finding friends in sometimes the worst of situations.





	The worst of tears will someday transform to happiness...

of the Sohma family, so it was next to impossible to live around  _ My name is Keiko Sohma, kinda ironic in it's meaning it means happy child. I am the exact opposite of "happy" though. I am a daughter of the leader of the Sohma family Akito Sohma. I wish I never was though. Any other family than this I would be perfectly fine with. I wanted to get the hell out of here as fast as humanly possible. So I thought of the best possible thing, I applied to a strictly musical high school in a different city. Akito would have to send me away!! I could go and live with the only members of this family who give a damn about me at all my cousins Yuki and Kyou and my "uncle" Shigure. I have been in love with my cousin Yuki for the longest time, but never expected him to feel the same way about me. I hadn't really thought about the consequences that my father Hatori warned me about. I mean what's the worst that could happen.  _

 

"You think you can simply come and go whenever you feel like you fucking bitch!!" My mother screamed at me and I shrank into myself. 

"W-well I-I want to be on my o-own." I protested at her and twiddled my thumbs. 

"How many fucking times have I told you look people in the eyes or people will think that you're a freak!! OH wait you are a freak!!" 

"I want to practice music and art ma'am. You had me learn to play piano for a reason. I want it to be my full time life along with sketching." I informed her and she slapped me across the face and kicked my feet down out from under me.

"You think that you can fucking go learn and practice music!! You're going to leave me all alone to go practice fucking music and sketching!!" She kept kicking me and kicking me and I whimpered in pain and agony. Eventually she got tired of getting no reaction out of me probably and slammed my door. Five minutes later the door opened and my mom had a bottle of liquor in her hands.

"Pack your things, I never want to see you in my house again." I nodded and began to pack up my backpack and suitcase full of clothes and put my favorite stuffed multi colored seahorse inside of my backpack. I left silently and went off to Hatori's office and knocked on his door.

"Come on in." I heard him call from the other side of the sliding door and I gently swung the door open.

"Hi dad..." I said to him trying to stand up straight and look him in the eye like my mother always told me to. It never really worked.

"Oh honey..." He rushed over to me and cradled me in his arms like a father would his daughter. I found out that Hatori was my father when I was five and he was honest about him and my mother’s relationship. That it was non consensual on his part.

"What happened princess?"

"Well it went about as well as you thought it would dad. She began to kick me for leaving her like you did. She yelled at me and called me freak, normal behavior on her part. She then left after she had her fill, came back with a bottle of liquor and said I better not come back." He held me as I cried and treated me like how family should be treated.

"I'll call Shigure and you can be on your way. I'll drive you there. In your condition you won't be able to go very far." He informed me and I smiled weakly at him and wrapped myself into a slight ball. I almost wanted to plug in my earbuds but then my dad came back to the room. 

"He didn't really understand but is letting you stay there. I take it you never told him, Yuki or Kyo?" 

"No. I never really wanted them to worry about me." 

"Well he's all worried now, though according to Shigure, Kyo has been gone for quite sometime." 

"Probably training again..." 

"That's what I told him. That boy and his training." 

"Well it's what he loves, I don't judge." 

"That's one of the best things about you. You've always accepted things as they are with people. Especially him and Yuki, you love them both in very different ways." 

"They're my best friends. I mean, they're my family too but I always saw them as my best friends." 

"But yet you're in love with Yuki?" He asked as we began to move swiftly through the halls of the Sohma house to his car and I blushed. 

"Yes. But, I have mostly given up all hope on that one, it simply doesn't really matter whether he loves me back or not." I got into his car and he began to drive off down the road.

"You're going to be living in the same house as him for the time being and probably until you graduate from that music school of your's. He might actually feel the same way you do sweetie." I scoffed at him and looked at my feet.

"What would he want with a freak like me." 

"That's your mother talking. Not you." 

"It's true. She wouldn't have told me so if it wasn't true." 

"That's not true in the slightest!!" My dad never in his life of me knowing him for sixteen years had raised his voice at me and I looked up at him startled. 

"Sorry. Didn't mean to raise my voice at you honey. It's just I hate that she got you thinking like that. Aspergers does not make you a freak in the slightest. In fact it makes you yourself. Beautiful, lovable, kind, caring you." 

"I love you dad." 

"I love you Kei, you're the best thing that ever happened to me."

"That can't be... I mean... You didn't want to be my mother's... Whatever."

"That's true, I didn't. I wanted be a father though, and even though you didn't come about in the best way possible I don't regret a minute of it."

"You mean it?"

"Every single word of it." He turned up the acoustic Disney piano music and I hummed along to the lyrics as I drummed my fingers to the piano melody. 

"Are you excited for your  new school?" He asked turning into the country where my best friends lived and I smiled at the question. 

"Yes, I am super excited!!" 

"How did you hear about it?" 

"My favorite art and music teacher both mentioned it to me. They said that I was talented enough to be the team leader and I sent in a demo email and got accepted for the interview portion. That day I had to leave when mom had a hangover last month that's where I went. I got my letter of full acceptance yesterday morning and classes start next Monday."

"What demo did you do?"

"It was She Used To Be Mine from Waitress." Hatori was completely into musical theater and he loved most of the shows that I got him into. Waitress was one of our favorites.

"That would have been beautiful. I'm so happy for you my little girl, making me proud of her talents everyday." I blushed at the praise as we turned into Shigure's neighborhood and I saw him waiting on the front porch for me. I exited the car and waved to Shigure on the porch. 

"You've got some explaining to do young lady!!" He told me as I got my stuff out of my dad's trunk and I stiffened. 

"You don't have to tell him anything, I'm sure he'll understand if you don't want to discuss this with him." My dad told me quietly and I nodded.

"I know but if I don't tell him now I probably never will. He deserves the right to know." I was just scared of what would happen if he found out and Yuki got mad at me.

"Yuki could never be mad at anybody. Unless it's Kyou which is valid. Their personality's clash." I laughed at the memory as me and my dad moved to the house.

"Hi uncle Shigure." I avoided eye contact with him but thankfully he took in stride as Yuki came rushing down the stairs. I left my dad and my uncle to talk and went inside to greet my best friend. He came skidding into the living room to give me a massive hug. 

"Keiko what on earth are you doing here?" I smiled at him and thought this would be much easier which it was all said and done.

"I'll explain everything in a moment. It's kind of a long story..." He sensed my apprehension and was always the best at comforting me.

"You don't have to tell me or Shigure anything if you're not ready."

"I know. But you deserve to know what I've been hiding for nearly thirteen years." I put my things next to the living room and went into the kitchen and was instantly in horror  at what I saw. Mountains of dirty dishes and no food in sight. 

"How often do you two eat out exactly?!" Yuki seemed humiliated.

"Almost every night..." I shook my head and began to do the dishes.

"Not on my watch you're not!!" I did all of those dishes and by the time I was done my dad was about to leave.

"If you want me to stay for the talk I will." He told me wrapping his arms around me in a hug.    

"No. I think that if you were here that would only make it harder. Does that make sense?"

"It makes perfect sense my darling. I'll see you when I can. I love you so much."

"I love you too dad. Stay safe and be careful." He drove off in his car and I went back inside the house and sat down at the table.

"I'm sure that you two want to know exactly what happened..."

"You don't need to explain if you're that nervous Kei." Yuki said taking my hand and I smiled watery at him.

"It needs to be done." I took a deep breath and began to tell my story.

"For as long as I can remember my mom has been abusive to me. It started out just little things, like if I broke something it would be a strike across the face. I thought that it was perfectly normal and that it happened in every family. As I got older things got way worse... You know I broke my ankle a few years ago? I said that I had fallen Satsuki's bike. That was a lie. My mom pushed me down the stairs. Things got steadily worse from there and she would kick me whenever she felt like it basically. I got accepted into a music school in this town in a last resort in order to get the hell out of that house. My dad told me it was a horrible idea but I didn't listen. I was too excited to leave that house for good. I told my mom that I wanted to leave and come here and she just went off... She shoved me to the ground and kicked me for about... Twenty minutes in various spots I think. She then left me for about five minutes and came back and told me to pack my things and never show up at Sohma house again.." I looked up and saw my best friends face and his eyes held all the hatred in the word and so did Shigure's.

"I'm so sorry... I had no idea..." Yuki was crying and so was I. 

"It's not your fault Yuki... If it's anyone's fault it's mine." Shigure tensed and he told me firmly. 

"This will never ever be your fault. Never blame yourself for the problems which are hers not yours." 

"But if I had been a better daughter..." 

"You were the absolute angle of a perfect daughter, if anything you were far better than anything she deserved. Does anyone else know aside from Hari?" I nodded my head. 

"Satsuki and Kyoko know then again they are my best friends so... So do my two favorite teachers back at my old school."

"And they never did anything?"

"I'm sure they wanted to, most nights I was either at Satsuki or Kyoko's house instead of my own."

"I wish that you would have either told me, the cat, or Shigure. We could have taken you here and you could have gone to school with me."

"Akito would have never let me go unless I physically disobeyed her wishes."

"How did Hari ever create you... Or is it something horrible?" Shigure asked me in concern for his best friend.

"It was pretty god awful even if he says it's the best thing he's ever done... It was by force let's just put and end it like that." I heard Yuki gag and I nodded.

"That's absolutely awful... Come to think of it is that why you've kept your  hair so long all these years?" Yuki asked me.

"Yep, it's always been to hide the marks and the scars. Now that I'm out of there though I can finally get the hairstyle that I truly want."

"Anything you want you got it. Now that you're under my roof be prepared to be spoiled." I laughed at Shigure's wackiness and went to one of the three spare rooms upstairs and next door to Yuki's. I opened the door and put my stuff next to the bed and closed the door.

"Ugh what a day..." I muttered to myself as I put on some pajamas and heard a knock on the door.

"Come in!!" Yuki opened the door and sat down next to my bed.

"Are you alright?" He asked me tentatively sort of walking on eggshells around me.

"Not really... I mean my sides ache like crazy and I think that she fractured some of my ribs but nothing new there. Emotionally I could probably be better maybe it'd be best if I get a therapist..."

"I wouldn't say no to that one though might want to talk to Shigure about that one. About the ribs maybe we should take you to the doctor..."

"Maybe tomorrow if they aren't any better. I'm pretty drained at the moment sorry."

"Don't apologize to me ever. I hate seeing you like this. All the life drained from your eyes. I hate that she did this to you!!" He yelled and I tried to calm him down.

"Yuki relax please, I hate her too but getting mad will never do anything."   

"I'm sorry for getting mad but I just can't help it. You've been alone for so long and I never saw it when I visited the Sohma house on New Year’s or any other time." 

"Not your fault for being angry. If I was a stronger person, maybe like Kyo I wouldn't be in this mess..." 

"You're strong in your own special way. Maybe not in the physical way, but definitely in some ways. I'll let you get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning." I gave him one final hug before brushing my teeth and going to bed with a growling stomach... Ah well wouldn't be the first time that had happened. 

I woke up to the sun peering through my curtains and I opened my eyes and thought aloud. 

"Wonder if Shigure will let me make this place my own... Maybe I could paint some things in here that would be awesome!!" I got out of bed and stretched my arms and went to the restroom next to my guest room. I carefully padded down the stairs in case I was up before everybody else. But then I heard Shigure humming from his office.

"What are you doing?" I asked when I went inside of his office and saw him painting something.

"Oh morning Keiko!! I felt like painting all the members today want to see?" I nodded and he flipped them around and I saw the seahorse.

"When these dry, can I have the seahorse please?"

"Of course you may!!" I smiled thankfully at him and heard Yuki coming down the stairs from his own room rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He always looked so adorable sleepy and I wanted to cuddle him forever. I pushed down that urge though as strong as it was.

"What is going on this early in the morning?" I laughed at him.

"Try it's eight thirty when do you have to start school?" He gasped and started rushing back up the stairs.

"How often does that happen?" I asked Shigure and he chuckled at me.

"Almost everyday now. He's always had a hard time getting ready in the morning." I noticed that when we were kids as well and helped Shigure put the little animals on the porch.

"How'd you sleep?" He asked me as we both just sat down on the porch. 

"Amazing thank you, believe it or not I didn't have an actual bed back at Akito's. Only a mattress on the floor." I saw his eyes widen and he shuddered visibly.

"I actually was meaning to talk to you about that... Will you need to see a therapist?"

"I was going to talk to you about that actually. Will it be to much money for you?"

"Not even, never worry about money Kei, it's not your business how I spend my money."

"Then yes I think that seeing a therapist is a brilliant idea." I thought I saw someone coming this way from the middle of the woods and saw a young girl about my own age. She had brown hair pulled back with blue ribbons and beautiful blue eyes.

"My word. Do my eyes deceive me or is there a strange young girl coming near my porch?" Shigure asked and I laughed at him. Usually he was harmless but he tended to be very joking with younger girls. Kinda creepy if you were to ask me. I saw the girl come to look at the dog figure and smile at it.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to look without asking or barge in." The girl protested and I smiled, I think I could grow to like this girl. 

"It's alright. I'd just set them out to dry no harm done. But I find it hard to believe silly things like these would attract your interest."

"No I really like them. I don't think they're silly at all."

"Yes well I must admit... I'm quite fond of them myself."

"Oh I should've known. You left out the cat." I rolled my eyes at my uncle. How he could do that to Kyou was unreal. Even if he didn't get along with him it was still a little unreal to me.

"The cat? Oh I take it you're referring to the Chinese Zodiac..." Yes you dolt that is what she is referring to.

"Uh-huh my mom told me that story when I was little."

"Funny. I wonder what he'll say when he hears he has a fan." Shigure mentioned to me and I kicked his foot. I heard Yuki coming rushing down the stairs again and he skidded to a stop when he saw the girl.

"He?"

"You were born in the year of the dog. I knew there was something I liked about you aside from your pretty..." At that moment Yuki dropped his book-bag on top of his older cousins head. I laughed full on at that one and had to hold my stomach. 

"Please forgive my cousin, Miss Honda. He's a bit of a flirt but he's harmless... In general it's best to just ignore him." 

"What do you have in that bag a dictionary?" I chuckled at my uncle's craziness. 

"No. I have two." 

"So you're one of Yuki's classmates from school. Let's start again. I'm Shigure, his older... And much less violent cousin." I caught the girl looking at me with those big eyes and I glanced down.

"I don't think I go to school with you. What's you're name?" 

"My name is... Keiko Sohma I'm Yuki's cousin as well. Though not by blood like him and Shigure, more by marriage." I introduced myself and she then asked me.

"Oh, where do you go to school?" 

"I'm a recent student at Miss Mimi's academy for the arts and music." 

"That's supposed to be a really great school!!" I smiled at her and Yuki changed the subject. 

"And what brings you here this morning Miss Honda?" She laughed nervously. 

"Well... I live nearby." I glanced at her skeptically. There are no houses on this hill aside from this one. Plus this was all property here. 

"You do? Where at?" Yuki questioned skeptically as well. He was always quite the perceptive type, it worked in his favor most of the time.

"Right well I think I'll be going now. It was nice meeting all of you." She quickly started to leave when Yuki stopped her.

"Wait, Miss Honda." She hummed and he jumped off the porch.

"Since you're here, why don't we walk together." She nodded her head. I got up off the porch and hugged my cousin goodbye. 

"Have a great day you two!!" Shigure waved to them and I sat back down with my older uncle. 

"Do you have any paint left over?" I asked him as Yuki and Miss Honda I assumed her name was had left. 

"No, I'm sorry but I only bought enough to make these little guys. Did you want to paint something?" 

"Well I had an idea for the spare room..." 

"What was it? I always loved your artwork it's so realistic!!" 

"I wanted to make a recreation of the Beast's castle and maybe an Elton John Goodbye Yellow Brick Road cover. I've painted both before and it only took me a few days." 

"I'm sure that both would be beautiful!! I'll give some money to go to the store and you can then paint them." I nodded and went to go take a shower and got dressed in my favorite dress and white leggings for the day and pulled ivy purple curly hair into a french braid. That would be the first thing to fix up today was getting my hair all cut off and out of my face. It's been growing since I was fourteen once the beatings got super bad and it needed to go now that I was finally free of that home.

"Hey Shigure, I'm heading out for the day!!" I called out coming down the stairs and I went into his office. He had his glasses on and it looked like he was working on a manuscript. 

"What's on the agenda today?" He asked me and I smiled at him.

"Well the first thing to go will be my hair, then I need to stop by new school and get my uniform fitted and then I wanted to get some paint for the spare bedroom." I rattled off for him and he looked up at me and smiled going into his wallet and handing me a credit card. 

"I trust you." I nodded and went out the door strapping on my Mary Jane's and began walking into town to find a salon that was open to fix up my hair. As I made my way into the town I saw other students going into town that day and I stopped in front of this really cute looking salon and opened the door allowing the bell to chime.

"Good-morning!!" The stylist told me and I smiled at her.

"Morning, I was wondering if you could make this mess of a hair into a pixie cut?" I gestured to me long hair and I saw the girl’s eyes widen.

"You want to cut that beautiful hair?"

"Yeah bad memories come with it..."

"Oh. I see. I can do it then. My name is Akira please have a seat." I did as she said and sat down in the chair.

"Now I am going to ask a personal question here but did you come from a bad place?" My eyes widened and I nodded my head.

"I thought so, only people with bad homes have hair this long. Trust me I know I've been there too. It was my father you?"

"Mother, my father is amazing. I'm so sorry to hear about yours though."

"What's your name?"

"Keiko Sohma." She began to wash my hair once I unbraided it for her to work with easier.

"Tell me about your dad." She told me as she grabbed her scissors and started cutting my hair.

"His name is Hatori Sohma, he's not related to my mom they were never married. He's the family doctor since there's a whole lot of us. He's amazingly supportive of my dreams and always has my back."

"Sounds like the complete opposite of my old man. My mom was mediocre but never laid a hand on me. What are your dreams though?"

"I want to either play and write my own music or draw for Disney."

"That's incredible!! I love Disney!! They were the only happy moments in my childhood."

"Same thing over here, I would watch them with my two best friends who are also my cousins." I blushed at the thought of Yuki's name no shocker there.

"You got a crush on your cousin?" She looked slightly put off and I nodded.

"Yes, but he's not my cousin by blood, he's by marriage instead." 

"That's not so bad I guess tell me about him." 

"He's amazing!! He's super inspiring to me, always working hard but staying kindhearted and is always putting others above himself. He'll never fall for me though..."

"If he doesn't fall for you then he's an idiot. You look like a student though, why are you getting a haircut instead of going to classes?" 

"I start school next Monday, at Miss Mimi's academy for arts and music." She gasped at me and I laughed at her.

"That's amazing!! That school is super difficult to get into. I used to want to be a tattoo artist when I was younger and went there. Best four years of my entire life, I met my boyfriend now fiancee there too."

"That's awesome!! Why did you quit?"

"Too much money and not enough passion for it as the program went on. What's your uncle do?"

"He's a writer not very famous though, mostly does short stories in his office all day. When he's not goofing off that is..." I laughed at the thought of my uncle bugging Yuki and Kyou.

"That must be fun!! Being able to work your own hours."  

"Are you excited for your time at Mimi's?"

"Very. I mean studying piano classically  was something that my mother forced me into when I was two, but overtime I grew to love doing it and playing music. Once I got to around the age of nine I fell in love with sketching and musical theater. I trained my voice to be able to sing all of my favorite characters. Especially Jenna in Waitress she's one of my favorites."

"That's amazing!! I love that show too, what else can you play?"

"I love and adore playing Elton John music, something I inherited from my father."

"I love Billy Joel he's my favorite though I do adore Elton John too, he comes here almost every four years and I have seen him three times."

"That's incredible, I'm so jealous. How's he in concert?"

"Flawless, it'll literally change your life. He was here three years ago and he just announced his tour dates yesterday. He'll be here in January of next years at our big arena!!" She trimmed my bangs and I looked at my hair in the mirror. It looked absolutely gorgeous and what I always wanted.

"It's beautiful. Thank you so much!!" I turned around in the chair and she put some really nice oil something in my hair that smelled amazing, like Christmas.

"And there you are!! All done." She told me and I took off the bib and shook my hair out and grabbed Shigure's credit card from my purse. Akira pushed the buttons and out came the rate.

"That'll be fifty dollars because I had to pretty much cut off all of your hair."

"That makes sense." I payed the bill with his card and took a tootsie pop and walked out the door waving to Akira and went off to Miss Mimi's school. I hummed my demo song as I walked up to the gates.

_ "Who is there? School doesn't start until next Monday..." _

"Miss Mimi, it's me Keiko Sohma, you told me to come here once I got out of my home." I told the intercom and I heard her gasp.

_ "Oh honey, come on in I'm so sorry."  _

The doors to the gate opened and I entered the mammoth of a school looking at everything on the grounds. I went through the doors and walked straight to Miss Mimi's office in the front of the school. 

"Hi Miss Mimi!!" I said to her as I sat down in one of the swivel chairs in her office.

"Hello there Keiko, I wasn't expecting you to get out of your home so quickly." She knew of my home life as well but I knew that I could trust her and swore her to secrecy.

"Yeah. Wasn't easy but I was more than ready to leave that life behind me and get the hell out of that house." I put the sucker into my mouth and hummed at the taste. Orange, my favorite.

"Well, I'm so glad that you're here now and safe. I wanted you to pick out your uniform colors. Every team leader gets to pick their own team colors." This was the first I was hearing of this...

"Team Leader?!" I gasped at the possibilities running through my mind and how much fun it would be.

"Yes, you will be team leader of group A. That's the group with the most talent after day one of school. I take my team leaders very seriously, but I see a ton of promise inside of you. Your demo had me in tears at the amount of emotion and connection that you had with that character of Jenna." She explained to me and I was crying.

"T-thank you for this amazing opportunity. I won't let you down."

"I know you won't Keiko, you've been so strong and for so long. I firmly believe that you will steal the hearts of the audiences when group A do Waitress in the wintertime. By the way you'll be playing Jenna."

"That's amazing!! I don't believe it!!"

"Believe it honey, you have a ton of that talent stored away. Let's pick out your uniform colors." She opened up a closet and and I saw all of these fabrics. I saw a light pink and lilac one that was the first one to speak to me until I saw the baby blue and light pink one.

"I love the baby blue and light pink one."

"You have stellar taste young lady. It's your's go and try it on!!" I left and went into the connected door that led to her bathroom. I took off my dress and noticed that this was a short sleeved uniform for the summer. I would need a sweatshirt to go with this. But the uniform fit me perfectly and I tied the tie and attached the team A logo to my sleeve. I exited the bathroom and she hummed in appreciation.

"I'm going to need a sweatshirt, but I should be able to find one on my own."

"Yeah that makes sense. It does suit you well though, you look beautiful."

"Thank you. Well I should be going I have one more stop to make before I head back to Shigure's."

"Where you heading?"

"The paint store, I want to paint some things into my spare room."

"What are you going to paint?"

"I want to paint a Beast’s castle and a replica of  Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road's cover." Her eyes widened and I giggled.

"That sounds like quite the job, I'll let you go and do that. I look forward to seeing you at seven thirty on Monday morning for intonation." I went to go and change back into my street clothes and went back to her office.

"Have a nice day Miss Mimi. Thanks for everything again. I can't thank you enough." I left when she smiled and waved at me. I called my dad after I left the school and prayed that he wouldn't be too busy to talk to me. Usually he wasn't but sometimes a Sohma would catch a cold. He picked up on the second ring. 

_ "Hatori Sohma speaking, who's calling?"  _ He sounded exhausted and I instantly felt sorry for him.

"Dad? You sound like you've been through hell and a hand basket in the last twenty four hours, what happened?"

_ "Oh princess, just typical life of a doctor for a huge family. Apparently everyone chooses today to catch the flu."  _ He explained to me and I chuckled at my dad's dramatics.

"I'm sorry that happened dad. I have some great new though..."

_ "What? What happened?"  _ My dad's mood instantly changed and went from exhausted to happy in about five seconds.

"I just stopped by my new school to retrieve my uniform. Miss Mimi told me that I am going to be the new team leader for her biggest group, group A. She also told me that her winter show is going to be Waitress and I'm going to be her Jenna!!" I heard him gasp and run into something and I laughed as I entered the paint shop.

_ "Sweetheart that's incredible!! I should probably get going, there's another patient who needs my help. God remind me why I picked out this career again?"  _  I laughed at him and so did he. 

"Because you love helping people? I'll let you go though dad, I love you so much and try to have a good day."

_ "I do love helping people that's true. I love you more than anything sweetie, and I'll try and have a good day."  _  I hung up at the same time as him and looked around the paint store.

"Can I help you?" A nice younger man came over to me and I smiled at him shyly.

"Yes, I am a really brilliant painter and recently moved here and wanted to paint my bedroom." I informed him and he nodded at me.

"What do you have in mind?"

"I am really great with backgrounds and castles so I thought maybe a replica of the Beast’s Castle from Beauty And The Beast. I also really love album covers and one of my favorites is Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." I told him not looking at his eyes and instead staring at my shoes and he looked at me strangely.

"Okay... Let me show you around here." He led me to the back of the store and I saw more paint  than I had ever seen in my entire life. I saw everything I needed and grabbed all the paints I would need. Silver, blue, green, brown, white, lilac purple, golden yellow, and a beautiful sky blue. I took all of my paints to the front desk and got checked out. I paid all the hundred dollars for the paints and got a giant bag and left to go back to Shigure's. I felt my stomach rumble and checked my phone and saw that it was one in the afternoon and I hadn't eaten since breakfast with my dad yesterday. I went into this cutesy family restaurant and saw how crowded it was but there was luckily an empty table.

"Hello there, just a table for one?" I smiled shyly back at the hostess.

"Yes please." She sat me at the table and gave me a glass of water.

"Your server will be right with you..." I nodded in thanks and I took a swig of the water. I stared out the window and saw students on their lunch breaks at the school across the way. I looked at the menu and saw a delicious looking pork cutlet bowl and started to drool on the spot.

"Hi there, what can I get you to drink?" My server asked me and I smiled at her.

"Can I just have a strawberry lemonade please?" I responded and she nodded.

"Yes you may, it's super good!!" She went off to do that and I checked my phone and saw that I had a text from Yuki.

_ Yuki: How's the shopping going Kei? Shigure told me that you left hours ago and haven't been home since. _

I laughed at Shigure's dramatics and replied to my best friend.

_ Me: Don't panic Yuki!! I'm fine, I had to get my hair all cut off and stop by my new school. I also wanted to get some paint for the spare room. _

_ Yuki: What's your plan for that? _

_ Me: I was thinking I would do a beast’s castle and yellow brick road... _

_ Yuki: Wow!! That sounds beautiful, how was the visit to your new school? _

_ Me: It went amazingly well, I'll tell you all about it later once you get home. How's school? _

_ Yuki: You know a typical day, I have gotten approached by about twenty girls today saying that they love me and want to date me. Let me ask you a question, how can you love someone when you don't really know them? _

I saw the server bring my lemonade out and took a sip of it and sighed when the flavors hit my tongue.

"It's delicious!!"

"It's our speciality here. What would you like to order?"

"Can I have the pork cutlet bowl please?"

"Of course!! Excellent choice." I smiled as I reached for my phone again and responded to Yuki.

_ Me: I believe that in order to truly love somebody, you have to look outside of the physical stuff and focus on the person’s personality. You've complained about this to me before, and told me that you acted differently at home then at school.  _

_ Yuki: Yes I do. I just wish that they would realize that I love somebody already and get over themselves. _

That's it. I know this would happen eventually. I just didn't expect it to be so soon.

_ Me: Really? Your first love how does it feel? What's she like? Is she in your class?  _

I tried to pretend that I was happy for him which was easier said than done over text.

_ Yuki: We'll talk about it later, I promise. Lunch just ended over here. I'll see you at home. _

I was glad that the bell rang and that Yuki was in class instead of here with me. I couldn't fake it around him. It was impossible luckily my food arrived and it smelled heavenly.

"Thank you so much!!" I told the server drying my tears and she nodded probably weirded out about the way that I was acting. I took the first bite and it was literally one of the best meals I have ever eaten.  I gobbled up all of the food and paid the small check and left the restaurant wanting to head home since Yuki would be home in a little while having his last class of the day right now. I walked up the road to the house in the woods and hummed an old love song that I could play on the piano since I was really little. 

"Uncle Shigure, I'm back!!" I called into the house and heaved my paint inside of the house. I went into his office and saw him fervently writing something so I just left him to it. I went upstairs to my room and shut my door and went to my bed and buried my head into my pillow. I heard Yuki come home and allowed myself to just be happy for my best friend. I heard him knock on my bedroom door.

"Come on in Yuki!!" I put on a fake smile and just had to hopefully get through this one conversation. He opened my door and walked in avoiding my eyes at all costs. 

"What's wrong? Did something happen at school?" I went into best friend panic mode because this was completely not like himself at all.

"No nothing happened at school. I just got to tell you something really important."

"What's on your mind Yuki? I'm your best friend but we're family first and foremost so you can tell me anything. Anything at all." I informed him and he took my hand.

"I know, I've been hiding this deep down for a really long time because I thought that there was no way in hell you could ever love me as much as I love you but it's the truth. I love you Keiko Marie Sohma. Have loved you since we were children together ever since you helped me paint my bedroom when we were seven and you made that giant replica of the Chinese Zodiac... Do you remember that? I certainly do, it was the time I ever truly real love from anybody and it was you. You helped me get control after I lost my parents, I was in a dark spot. Ayame didn't even show up, but you and Kyou, you guys were both there for me. Even then, I was constantly jealous of all the attention Kyo got from you. But, you shared your passion with me for piano, musical theater and just overall music in general. You got me from point a when I was a shy insecure boy to the still insecure teenager but is willing to do anything just for a chance to be with you. You're the only Sohma at the house who showed me any amount of respect and love. I love you too much to keep doing this everyday. Seeing you with morning head and not being able to kiss you across every inch of your beautiful face. To show you how beautiful I truly think you are, to wash away every inch of pain that women made you think about yourself. To make sure that you know how much you're loved despite everything that has ever gone wrong in your entire life. To show you that despite the insane amount of pain, you'll eventually learn that it has made you even stronger." He told me all these feelings that he had locked inside from god knows when and somewhere in the middle of it I started to cry and I looked him in his purple irises and found the words that I had locked inside my heart and my soul.

"I've loved you since I was nine years old, so I might be a little behind on this one. I love you more than anything Yuki Tami Sohma, since at least when you helped me from the ground when I accidentally pissed off Haru and he became Black Haru. You saved me from the horrors of my own home. Even if you didn't know how truly bad things were until recently you still protected me. You always made me smile, even when I couldn't think of how or even know why I was so upset. You take everything with stride and look out for me when we're in public places together. You took the shy Aspe and made her able to at least say what she was really thinking about someone or when something was bothering her. Kyo has always been a different kind of love, he's more the type where I want him to protect me from the world itself in an older brother way. He promised to do that when we were kids going into our early teens. I think he knew a portion of what really went on with me and my mom but not the whole deal. I remember the day that your parents both died when you were ten. I told myself that I had to be strong enough for you to be able to lean on me. I had to show you that people would always love you and want to keep you safe and I wanted to help you get over that grief and help you get better. When I got older and I felt my mother's rage against me reach an all time high, you're the one thing that's kept me alive all these years. Whenever I think about who would miss me on this planet you're always the first one who comes to my mind. When I questioned why I was put into my situation and why I was my mom's daughter I would think about how happy I was that at least I had you to be in love with. Perfect, lovable, kind hearted, adorable, strong, and shy you. You make me laugh and smile on the hardest days, and the easiest. You made me think I could be loved by anybody even though I have been raised to think that I was a horrible human being. I want to show how much I love every little thing about you. Your heart, your determination, your quirks, your faults everything. When you sleep in too late and have to rush in order to get to classes before everyone else. You make my heart sequel whenever you send one of your smiles that look brighter than the sun itself. You make my want to cuddle you when you're half asleep still and not fully aware of what's going on in the world only that you could use five more hours of sleep. I love everything about you. I never expected you to feel the same way about me. Kyo always made fun of me in private because he thought the way I would look at you was disgusting." I explained to him and an instant later he had me wrapped up in his embrace and was coming his fingers through my hair.

"Your haircut looks gorgeous by the way, I love it." I blushed at the compliment and heard my uncle knocking on the door. 

"Children, it's five o'clock!! Where's tonight’s takeout place?" I grimaced and noticed how not hungry I was since I had such a hearty lunch. Maybe I could have a salad wherever we went...

"What did you have for lunch?" I blushed again I had yet again spoke aloud. Mother hated whenever that happened to me.

"I went out to a really cute family restaurant downtown and had a delicious pork cutlet bowl since I hadn't eaten since yesterday morning."

"That's why you're so frail, how did survive on one meal a day?"

"My dad always made sure that I at least had one meal a day, even if it was something small. I had a Belgium waffle yesterday with my dad. My mom was very petty about food, usually I made it and she ate it and I didn't get anything." We both exited the room and went downstairs to see my uncle had finally finished writing for the day. 

"Your hair is adorable Kei!! Sorry I didn't greet you earlier. You sorta got home at a bad time."

"It's no problem Shigure, don't worry about it. I get the same way, if you come into my room and I'm working on an art project or playing piano I will not notice or pay you any attention."

"Good to know. So I see you kids finally got together?" I blushed at the idea that he knew and looked down and saw that Yuki was holding my hand.

"Didn't you say something about being hungry?" Yuki changed the subject and Shigure nodded his head excitedly like a little puppy. Ironic.

"Are you two hungry?"

"A little bit..." I admitted and Yuki nodded his head.

"I'm actually pretty hungry, haven't really been hungry all day." We got our shoes on and began to walk to the restaurant of Shigure's choosing. It was another family style restaurant and they had a really yummy looking salad with chicken and orange's. 

"How was your guys day?" Shigure asked after getting his water. I went first after having a silent conversation with Yuki. 

"It was pretty great, I got my haircut by a really nice lady named Akira and she was super fun. I went to my new school next to pick out a uniform and she told me that I was going to be a team leader, basically they are the leading actresses and singers for the entire four years and our first show for the winter is going to be Waitress."

"That's amazing!! You're going to be so good as that character!!" Shigure cheered for me and I laughed at him feeling for the first time as though I was a member of a family.

"I can't wait to see you kill that role, sweetie, it's going to look amazing." I blushed at the compliment and then my salad came and looked super good. I drizzled some of the balsamic and olive oil reduction dressing. I took my first bite and figured that this was really good as far as salads go. There was grapes and apples in there as well. 

"That looks really good, mind if I have some?" Yuki asked me and I blushed and pushed my plate a little bit to the left so that he could help himself. He took a scoopful and added it to the side of his sandwich and french fries. I smiled at him and he took my left hand and rubbed circles onto it for the rest of the meal.

"I forgot to ask about your day Yuki, aside from the annoying girls did anything else happen?" I asked him as we payed and left the restaurant. I smiled at him and we went on our way back home.

"It was okay, like most school days for me. I wish I was at least semi talented in the arts so that I could go to your school." I giggled at him as he held my hand again and I thought to myself that I could get used to this feeling.

"No need to get used to anything, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

"I said that aloud didn't I?"

"Yes, yes you did and if you two kids could save the lovey dovey for another time that would be fantastic." Shigure joked with us and I heard Yuki yell back at him.

"You literally flirted with one of my classmates today, and you think we're gross?!"

"He makes a valid point Shigure, I mean, come on..."

"Why are you two so cold to me?!"

"Because we can be." Yuki summed up and I laughed at his seriousness and how bluntly he said exactly what was on his mind. 

"I think if we keep eating out like this I'm going to need a bigger robe..." Shigure mentioned and laughed at him.

"Well then, why don't you do the cooking? Or cleaning for that matter?" I teased him knowing the exact answer as to why. Yuri always hated his cousins cooking and I was afraid to try it. 

"Because every time I do it, he complains." Yuki glared at him and rolled his eyes.

"Pickled radish in curry is not dinner, it's disgusting. It'd be like adding leaks to any dish when Kyo is around. I think one complaint is more or less justified. " I laughed at that one. Usually my other best friend was not picky at all with anything, but the one thing he always hated was the veggie leaks. Quite frankly I didn't blame him they were pretty revolting. 

"You know Yuki, you've got a good head on your shoulders but I just don't think you're cut out for housework. Aside from that garden of your's you don't really help out around the house. Let's just get a housekeeper." I thought I saw that girl from this morning and I tapped Yuki's shoulder and he turned to me. 

"Isn't that the girl from this morning?" I whispered to him and his eyes widened and nodded. 

"Miss Honda?" I couldn't hear her answer over Shigure's insane laughter and I smacked him upside the head to make him shut up. 

"You're being insanely rude right now, Shigure." I told him once we saw that she was living in a tent. 

"So you've been living in this tent all alone?" Yuki asked the young girl and she nodded. 

"For how long?" 

"About... A week." She informed us and suddenly it all made sense to me. 

"Well that explains it. All of this land is Sohma property Miss Honda, it seemed odd that my cousins suddenly had a new neighbor."

"I'm sorry. But please, can't I stay a little while longer? It's only a few more weeks then I'll go. I don't have much money but I can pay you. Please let me stay." She explained to us and I felt so sorry for the young girl.

"These woods aren't safe. We've got wild animals, landslides, the occasional weirdo prowling around. It's not a good idea for you to be living out here alone." Shigure finally finished with his light laughing fit it seemed finally cooled down enough to carry on a conversation.

"So you're done laughing?" Yuki asked him silently judging his older figure in his life. 

"Don't you worry about me!! I'm already used to all the bugs!! And if I can stand up to them I can..." At that she fainted and I rushed to check forehead.

"Guys she's got a fever let's get her back to the house!!" I picked her up bridal style and carried her up to Kyo's old spare room and rushed downstairs to get some ice and water for her forehead. I heard her waking up upstairs and ran back up there. 

"Yuki find some ice!!" I ordered him and Shigure followed me into the spare room.

"And you three call the woods unsafe..." I laughed at that one and Shigure answered her with a slight smile.

"Well relatively speaking." There was a pause in the conversation and Shigure was using his super hearing being the dog year.

"There you hear that? There's been another landslide somewhere out there..."

"Oh really? How'd you know that?" 

"Huh? Call it instinct." Yuki came back finally finding the ice and having a damp towel for her forehead.

"Thanks Yuki." I told him as I put the towel onto her head.

"Was it close?" Yuki asked his cousin and he nodded.

"Close to the tent... I mean not at all!!"

"Oh this terrible!! Mom's picture was still in there. I gotta get her out. Mom, mom I'm coming!!" I pushed her back onto the bed.

"You already have a fever Miss Honda. I recommend just staying here for right now." I instructed using what my father called his doctor voice.

"But mom... What am I going to do? If I don't get up soon she'll be hurt..."

"Don't strain yourself that's what my dad tells me when I'm sick or too hurt to move. I think you're mom's glad it wasn't you in there. And she'd be upset if you had been hurt just now. Don't you?"

"I'm sorry..."

"You must be tired it's a lot to happen in one day." My uncle told her as she sat up in the bed and stared out the window.

"I... I lost my home again."

"Are you okay?" He asked her worried for her safety and I was too. I mean I had assumptions but that's really all they were.

"I mean it's sad but not as sad as other things..."

"Like what?" I asked her this time curious for her wellbeing.

"Like not telling my mom to be safe on the day she died. I said that very morning. Bye be safe. Except that day, I didn't say it. I had a test the morning before and was up almost all night studying. When it was time for mom to go to work, I didn't wake up. I couldn't tell her to be safe. And she never came back. I used to think about quitting school, stop working. My mom was never able to finish school but she always wished she did. She told me that's why I needed to stick with it. So I could that diploma in my hands and tell her how it felt. And then maybe I could live the life that she never could. When she said that I knew that's why she worked so hard... And with everything she did... I couldn't even wake myself up that morning to say goodbye when she was walking out the door. Not even that one little thing... And then she was gone. So now I have to finish high school like my mom wanted me to, no matter what. I have to have that diploma in hand. I can't give up. Just because... Of a fever.. Like this..." And then she fell asleep and I sighed feeling sorry for the poor young girl. I was a lot like her. On my own for the most part, despite everyone who cares about me at all. My dad, Yuki, Shigure and Kyo. My family is limited to just that and only that.

"It's amazing. She always seemed cheerful at school. You'd never guess she was suffering for this long. When I was young, there were so many times I wanted to run away from Sohma house. I never did, I always found some rationalization to stay for a little bit longer, usually it was Keiko. The fact of the matter is I just wasn't strong enough, or I could have left. I could have lived in the woods in a tent. I could have done what she did." Yuki sat down beside me and put his arm around my shoulders and I snuggled into his side.

"I could have probably ran away too. But, my dad always talked me out of it." I answered back and he smiled watery back at me.

"You two can call it amazing. But I don't think it really does it justice." Shigure put in his two sense and I smiled at him. 

"No. No, it doesn't. Do you mind keeping an eye on her? I'd like to go out for a while." Yuki informed us getting up off the bed and I yawned. It had been a lot of pressure having to take care of someone. I don't know how my dad does it everyday. Just makes me idolize him more I guess. 

"What? Where? You aren't going to try digging for that tent are you? You are, aren't you? Do you want me to come with you? It won't be easy doing a big job like that all on your own..." Shigure protested and Yuki went off through the porch and called back. 

"You're right. But I don't think I said I would be going alone." Most of the animals in Chinese Sohma house zodiac could call upon an army of their chosen animal without even really trying. Sometimes they just come. Kyou always hated when that happened.

"I should be getting to sleep, it's been quite the day." I bid Shigure goodnight went through my nightly routine then promptly fell asleep clutching the stuffed seahorse my dad had bought me for my birthday last year.

I woke up and went to go check on my patient and she was just waking up.

"Mom you're here... But how..."

"Good morning. How are you feeling today?" Yuki walked through the bedroom door and sat with me at the edge of the bed.

"Um... I guess... Um..." It was clear that this girl was flustered by Yuki's presence but he did that to me as well. 

"I've bought things your for you. I think this is all of them. If you'd like to go and check." Yuki told her and I smiled at him brightly. I knew that he could do it. 

"Yuki that must have taken you all night..." 

"Don't be silly." 

"So then how did you...? I mean there was so much..."

"It's a secret." 

"Oh." I had a really bad feeling that she was about to find out our biggest family secret. 

"I know this place is dirty." 

"What?" Yeah I think we were both super confused at this point in time. 

"And I realize that the idea of living with two strange boys and one odd girl might seem a little awkward. But there's two extra rooms upstairs. You're welcome to stay there if you want." Ah I knew where this was going now, they wanted to hire her as the new housekeeper. 

"No, no, no!! Out of the question." She protested and I felt a slight sound coming from upstairs and decided to go and investigate. Hopefully it was who I thought it was and he wouldn't hurt me because he never had before. I went into Kyou's old room and peeked open the door. There he was bright orange hair and everything, and he was a sight for sore eyes. I almost never saw him since he hated coming to Sohma house due to his mom passing away and his dad not really caring about what happened to him. I walked through the door and he heard me. 

"Keiko? What the hell are you doing here? Not that I'm not extremely happy to see you, just curious." 

"I'll tell you the full story a bit later once Yuki leaves for school." I wanted to put this off as long as humanly possible since I knew he wouldn't be happy and would in fact be super duper pissed. I heard Yuki and Miss Honda coming up the stairs and swing open Kyou's door. 

"I apologize for the smell. We've had this room closed off for quite sometime. It's probably best if you leave open a window for a while." I would have laughed at him since he knew exactly who's room this was. Kyou took the time to finally get on level with Yuki after god knows how long before I could stop him.

"Yo. Time to pay the piper rat-boy. I'm here to collect."

"Funny. I would have thought he would send somebody bigger." Yuki spat back in his general direction.

"That's right. You'd better get your tough talk out of the way while you can, cause I'm about to wipe that stupid smirk right off your face!!" I was about to get in the middle of things since they would surely beat the crap out of each other.

"Wait stop!! Don't fight!!" Miss Honda accidentally ran into Kyo in an attempt to stop him from starting a fight. He turned into his cat form and I started panicking at the same time as Kyo did. 

"Yuki, what were all those crashing sounds I heard. Kyo's not here is he?" Shigure entered the room next and looked horrified at the idea of him looking at this. Miss Honda obviously panicked. 

"I'm so sorry. Are you alright? I... No!!! I turned him into a cat. I'm so sorry. I don't know how it happened but I'm going to help you, okay?" In any other moment I would be dying of laughter but this was too serious of a situation to care.

"Hey, hold on. Excuse me?"

"Hurry we need to get him to a doctor right away!!" She accidentally slipped on the stairs and Yuki and Shigure rushed to save her from hurting herself thus, turning into their animals.

"Good god, it's like I live with a bunch of idiots..." I wondered out loud and went to go tell Miss Honda the truth.When I went down the stairs the mailman had just left laughing.

"Damn it!! How was I supposed with an excuse if both of transform too?" Kyou yelled at my boyfriend and my uncle.

"Don't you dare try to blame this on us you stupid cat!!" Yuki lectured back and I had a feeling if I didn't stop them then we would be here all day.

"Oh go ahead, say that again I dare you."

"Stupid cat."

"Why you little..."

"Will both of for the love of god, cut it out!!" I screamed at them and just like normal they both froze in their spots and turned to me in shock.

"You mean they talk too..." Miss Honda objected.

"Anyway it's too late for excuses. We might as well tell her the truth. Tohru I'm a dog, Yuki here he's a rat, and Kyo's the cat. Don't let his temper scare you, he's just got a bit of chip on his shoulder." Shigure tried to explain to her but she looked even more confused than before.

"So this is normal?" Tohru asked my uncle and I laughed at him.

"Strange choice of words, but yes. Our family has lived with this curse for generations. We turn into the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac, plus the cat. Anyway, whenever we are put under a great deal of stress or when were hugged by a member of the opposite sex who isn't a Sohma we transform. After a little while we change back..." I grabbed her hand and ran into the next room blushing like a crazy mad women. They got dressed quickly and we went back into the room and I sat next to Kyou.

"Well we must seem  pretty strange to you now huh?" Shigure laughed nervously and I smiled meekly back at him.

"But... It's not your fault that you're family cursed... What about you though... Sorry I forgot your name..." She turned to me and I smiled shyly at her.

"It's fine, my name is Keiko Sohma, I don’t have a zodiac form my fate is a bit worse. I’m fated to become the next head of the family and carry all the weight of the other Sohma’s." I explained to her and she smiled at me. 

"Tohru didn't you say that you used to want to be a cat?" I saw Kyo's eyes widened and he scoffed at her probably thinking that she was naive to how hard it is to be him. 

"Yeah uh-huh." 

"What's it like seeing the real thing?" 

"Right!! It's the cat from the Chinese Zodiac." 

"Yes, it's hard to believe, I know. And I agree that the phrase Cat Like Reflexes don't really apply to him the way he let you fall on him like that. But he's a cat. Although he's clumsier than most. Surprising really the amount of martial arts training that he's had. I'm sure that he'd tell you the same thing if he wasn't too busy brooding like a little child..."

"Argh!! Will you shut up!! I told you it's not my fault!! If you wanna blame somebody, blame her. She shouldn't even be here." Kyou protested and I could tell that he was just angry with the world. Somedays he just gets like that. 

"Leave her out of this. Who we choose to let into this house isn't really any of your concern. You're the one who doesn't belong here." Yuki told him coldly and that's the one that always got me.

"That was a really low blow!!" I took off running after that. I knew that the blow also applied to me. I can't belong anywhere. It's just like my mom said. I'm a freak who can't even make a conversation unless it's Kyou, my dad or Yuki. I didn't even here the door to my room swing open and feel a dip in my bed until Kyo had wrapped his arms around me.

"I'm sorry.."

"What are you apologizing for? You didn't do anything wrong. It's me who doesn't fit in anywhere..."

"That's not true, you know that's not true. You're my best friend and you do belong. I think that insult just hit a little too close to home for me."

"Why?" He asked me and I felt like this would be the perfect time to tell him and just get it over with.    

"For as long as I can remember my mom has been abusive to me. It started out just little things, like if I broke something it would be a strike across the face. I thought that it was perfectly normal and that it happened in every family. As I got older things got way worse... You know I broke my ankle a few years ago? I said that I had fallen Satsuki's bike. That was a lie. My mom pushed me down the stairs. Things got steadily worse from there and she would kick me whenever she felt like it basically. I got accepted into a music school in this town in a last resort in order to get the hell out of that house.  My dad told me it was a horrible idea but I didn't listen. I was too excited to leave that house for good. I told my mom that I wanted to leave and come here and she just went off... She shoved me to the ground and kicked me for about... Twenty minutes in various spots I think. She then left me for about five minutes and came back and told me to pack my things and never show up at Sohma house again.." He stiffened and shuddered at my story and I looked up and I had never seen him so furious with anyone in my entire life. 

"I... I can't believe that you stayed there for so long." 

"I never really saw the point in leaving before, I mean you were up in the mountains and left without a word." 

"I'm truly sorry, my master showed up out of the blue one day and took me away and told me that I could simply leave a note for everyone and that they would understand." 

"I do understand, I mean karate is your passion like music and art is mine. I don't judge never have never will." 

"And this is why you're my best friend in the entire world." At that moment Yuki came through the door and stood in the doorway. 

"I'm really sorry guys... That was extremely cruel of me to treat you guys like that." He explained and I smiled at him. 

"Apology accepted." 

"Alright sissy boy, what's with the attitude?" Kyou accused and I decided to let this one slide.

"You're still as stupid as ever. And I'm going to prove it to you by giving you exactly what you want. Only this time I won't hold back." Yuki informed him and I shuddered this wasn't going to end well at all. Shigure and Tohru came running into my room. 

"No... Yuki!!" Tohru exclaimed and I felt like explaining this one.

"Don't worry. This goes back way further than today. Those two do nothing but fight every since we were children together."

"But... Shouldn't we at the very least try to stop them?"

"No, I've tried it before, it only ends in yourself getting caught in the crossfire. It'll be over in just a second." At that moment Yuki was chasing Kyo down the stairs and running out of the house and he punched him so hard that he went flying.

"I told you I wouldn't hold back. You should have listened." Yuki kicked Kyo who was on the ground and I rushed to help my best friend off the ground.

"Damn it, I really thought I could beat him this time..." Kyo muttered under his breath as I helped him off the ground.

"He did really try to warn you Ky you should have listened. I have a good feeling that one day the cat will win and actually beat the rat." I informed him as he dusted himself off and we went back to the kitchen where Tohru was rushing to get ready for the day.

"I'm not so sure that you want to go in that uniform. Suddenly she remembers her adventures in the woods." Shigure told her and she looked down in shock.

"I don't know it's not so bad. Maybe no one will notice." I laughed at that one.

"Oh I think they will."

"You're right. But I promised my mom. I have to go to school." 

"Fine don't let me stop you. A promise is a promise. Which reminds me, I'll have to visit Akito." At the sound of my mother's name I fell to the ground my hands covering my ears.

"What's wrong with her?" Tohru started panicking and I felt Kyo's arms lift me up.

"She's having a sensory overload. One of the joys of having Asperger’s. I'll take her to her spare room." He carried me all the way up the stairs.

"She messed you up something awful didn't she?" He asked me once he sat me down on my bed and I nodded and signed.

_ Yes she did, I never want to go back to that hellhole in carnet again.  _ I had a hard time speaking coherent english when I was having a sensory overload so I taught Kyo and Yuki both how to speak sign language.

_ You'll never have to. Not on my watch anyway. _

_ T-Thanks Kyo. _

_ Not a problem. I mean I'm used to dealing with them because of you when we were kids together. _ I heard a knock on my door and in popped Shigure in a suit this time.

"Kyo we need to go to Sohma house. Will you be alright here Keiko?" He asked me and I nodded not really in the mood for speaking. 

"Good, you should go and see the spare room next door to this one. I think you'll really love it." I looked at him really confused but went with it anyway. 

"God, I really don't want to go back there... Especially to see her..." 

"Reasons why I'm not going, aside from being kicked out and everything. If you see my dad tell him I said hi for me will you?" 

"Of course, if we see Hari, I'll send him your regards. He really loves you." Shigure mentioned getting up off my bed while dragging Kyo behind him and I chuckled at my best friend. I carefully got up and picked out my outfit for the daytime. A bright pink top with long sleeves and a pair of white shorts seemed to make it work rather well. I checked my phone and saw a text from Satsuki in me and Kyoko's group chat.

_ Satsuki: Sup bitches!! How's life? _

I laughed full on at my best girlfriends style of talking, if it was funny she was usually the one to say it.

_ Kyoko: How many times have I told you not to text me during math class? I'll get in huge trouble. _

Kyoko had a massive fear of getting busted with a cellphone at my old school, since the rules were so strict.

_ Satsuki: And how many times have I told you that you need to learn to live instead of constantly living in fear of getting in trouble? _

_ Me: She makes a good point Kyo you need to lighten up _

_ Satsuki: Says you, when have you ever gotten in trouble without my help miss goody two shoes _

_ Me: Touché _

_ Satsuki: In all seriousness, how's life in your new home? _

_ Me: Pretty great!! I really love these guys, their amazing. My emotional state could probably be better, but I have Kyo here now so I think I'll be fine in just a little time. _

_ Kyoko: In all seriousness, I should really be paying attention in this class. We'll text after school. Love ya!! _

_ Me: Have a great day losers who have to be in class lol _

_ Satsuki: Shut the fuck up you music loving talented person!! _

We left the group chat at that response and I smiled missing my girls more than anything at the moment and decided to go and see what was in the other spare room like Shigure instructed. I walked next door and saw a note on the very top of it towards the center in my dad's handwriting. 

_ Dear Keiko, _

_ I know that you believe your life has been for nothing and that you don't love yourself as much as you should. I hate that you feel that way most days. I hope that this room and this music school will help you learn that you’re the most beautiful and amazing person in the entire universe to me. _

_ Love, _

_ Dad _

I dried the tears that had lingered there and opened the door to see a glittering music room with a grand piano in the very center. I also saw that this room had a ton of natural lighting for sketching in the corner of the room where there sat a huge desk. I knew that I had to call my dad again today to thank him for this room and for all of the sacrifices that he had made for me.

_ "Hatori Sohma speaking who's calling?"  _ He picked up the phone yet again almost instantly. 

"Dad? I just saw the music room... Thank you so much!! You really didn't need to do this for me."

_ "Nonsense sweetheart, I wanted to. You deserve to be spoiled way more than I have been able to do over the years. I'm so glad that you like it though." _

"I love it so much, how's the house? Is everybody healed?" 

_ "For the most part yes, though it seems your mother has been even more demanding of my services of late."  _

"Oh dear lord... What's the problem with her now?"

_ "She claims that she's pregnant again..."  _  That caught me off guard, unless she forced another man to bed her... Disgusting. 

"What the hell?! Is she?"

_ "It would seem so though I have no idea who the father is. She wouldn't tell me."  _

"Good grief. I'm so sorry that you have to put up with her dad. I wish I could help..."

_ "Don't worry about it. I got a visit from Kyo and Shigure earlier though both looked miserable to be here. Shortly after that I heard Kyo screaming at her defending you."  _

"Oh my god... What did I do to deserve him exactly I will never know..."

_ "You do the same thing for him, I've seen you defend our feline friend to the family members who don't believe he can do anything right."  _

"Well he's my best friend and I love him like a brother." The other line went quiet for a moment.

"Does her evil highness need you again dad?" I asked the other line and heard a full laugh from him. I loved making my dad laugh, it made me feel like I was helping him at least somewhat.

_ "As a matter of fact yes, something about a girl’s memories. Know anything about that?"  _

"Yes I do, she's staying with us as a housekeeper and she goes to Yuki's school. Sort of a funny story actually, I'll have to tell it to you in person. How's Momiji?" Momiji was sorta like my adoptive brother. His family had to have their memories wiped and Hatori had been looking after him ever since he was about five years old and I was seven.

_ "He's still crazy talkative, but he's at school right now thank god. It seems that with him around no work ever gets done... Yes I'm coming just hold on!! Sorry I'm needed elsewhere by your mother, I love you so much princess and I'll stop by later with Momiji maybe if I can..."  _

"I love you too dad, see you then. Don't work too hard okay?"

_ "Got it!!"  _ After that we ended our talk and I took a deep breath and just began to play around on that keyboard. Just playing random notes and scales and goofing around. I began to play the demo that I did for my school and just let the notes and lyrics wash over me and forgot about the rest of the world for a little bit. 

_ "It's not simple to say most days I don't recognize me. That these shoes and this apron that place and it's patrons have taken more than I gave them. It's not easy to know I'm not anything like I used to be although it's true I was never attention sweet center I still remember that girl. She isn't perfect but she tries she is good but she lies. She is hard on herself she is broken and won't ask for help. She is messy but she's kind she is lonely most of the time. She is all this mixed up and baked in a beautiful pie. She is gone but she used to be mine. It's not what I asked for sometimes life just slips through the back door and carves out a person and makes you believe it's all true and now I've got you. And you're not what I asked for. If I'm honest I know I'd give it all up for a chance to start over and rewrite an ending or two for that girl that I knew. Who'd be reckless just enough who'll get hurt but who'll learn how to toughen up. And get use by a man who can't love and then she'll get stuck and be scared of the life that's inside her getting stronger each day. 'Til it finally reminds her to fight just a little to bring back the fire in her eyes that's been gone but used to be mine. She is messy but she's kind she is lonely most of the time she is all this mixed up and baked in a beautiful pie. That's gone but used to be mine..."  _

"You play beautifully!!" I heard the voice of Tohru tell me from the doorframe.

"Oh, well thank you very much..." I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear and shyly looked down at my feet.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I have a social disease called Asperger’s which limits how well I can relate and connect with the people around me and I don't have a ton of friends due to this."

"Oh that's fine, I don't really mind." She took a seat next to me and turned to me.

"Do you like Disney movies?"

"Love them!!"

"Same!! What's your favorite one?"

"Hmm... I really adore Mary Poppins and Beauty And The Beast. But that's really tough. What about yourself?" 

"Mary Poppins over here too!! I love Lion King too."

"That movie is amazing!!" I began to simply play around and somehow ended up doing a version of Feed The Birds.

"This is my favorite Disney song..." I told her wistfully and she smiled brightly back at me.

"It's one of mine too, can you sing it please?" I nodded and let the lyrics wash over me and she hummed along with me.

_ "Early each day on the steps of Saint Paul's the little old bird woman comes in her own special way to the people she calls. 'Come, buy my bags full of crumbs; come feed the little birds, show them you care. And you'll be glad if you do the young ones are hungry their nests are so bare all it takes is tuppence from you. Feed the birds tuppence a bag, tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag. Feed the birds' that's all she cries. While overhead, her birds fill the skies. All around the cathedral the saints and apostles look down as she wares. Although you can't see it you know they are smiling each time someone shows that he cares. Though her words are simple and few listen... Listen she's calling to you. 'Feed the birds tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag. Though her words are simple and few listen... Listen she's calling to you. 'Feed the birds tuppence a bag. Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag..." _

"You know, you'd make a marvelous Mary Poppins!!" She exclaimed and got up from the piano bench. 

"Want to help me with lunch?" 

"Sure, I'd be glad to. Though I might need to go shopping later, this place is kind of barren." She laughed at me while walking down the stairs.

"I've noticed. Where's Kyo and Shigure?"

"They had to go to Sohma house to met with my mom...."

"Oh, I thought it was just you and your dad..."

"Most of the time it is. See my mom hates my guts I'm pretty positive of that fact..."

"I'm sure that's not true. She just loves in a different way." I was surprised by her and her never ending optimism.

"No she doesn't, unless that way is yelling at your daughter and calling them a freak..."

"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have asked. Is that why you applied to Miss Mimi's school in a method of running away?" 

"Sort of yeah I guess. Call me a coward if you want I saw no other options and I hated my life there. Aside from my dad nobody really cared about the unneeded freak daughter of the head of the family." 

"You're not a coward. If anything I respect that you were able to survive there for so long." I started making the rice while Tohru found some teriyaki chicken and carrots.

"Thank you for understanding and not asking too many questions about my life."

"Not a problem. I have a best friend who comes from a very similar situation named Ou but her father instead of her mother."

"Hmm... I've heard it's more the fathers than the mothers. I love my dad though, he's the greatest."

"What's his animal?"

"He's the seahorse. Hates it though."

"Why?"

"Not really my story to tell, when you met him and he trusts you enough he'll allow his guard to fall. It's a really sad story though." She just nodded her head and Yuki came through the door closing it behind him. I'm guessing that today was a half day for them.

"Hello there love, need any help?" I shook my head knowing he would be more of a hindrance than a helping hand.

"Sorry honey, I feel like you would just get in our way. You can set the table though, if you want." He smiled back at me and we all set the table and began to eat.

"I take it you two had a half day?" I asked the two of them and they nodded back at me.

"Yep, we have one once a month or so to catch up on homework and whatnot." I smiled at Tohru's enthusiasm for life itself.

"That sounds like heaven to me. I never had that at my old private school, it's super strict there." I explained to my friends right as the door swung open and Kyo went marching up to his room in a pissed off state of mind.

"I'll go make sure he's alright, apparently according to my dad Akito and him got into an argument." I ran up the stairs to go talk to my best friend and make sure that he was alright and Tohru followed me.

"Just a fair warning, he's not good with his temper. No matter how much training he does it's never gone away." I opened the door and he was actually repairing the room that he broke earlier.

"Don't freakout it's only temporarily. You guys can call someone to fix it better later. This will at least keep the ran out until then." He told us hopping down from his perch and scratching behind his ear a nervous tick that any member of the cat curse had.

"Yes, thank you." Tohru replied and then started spacing out or lost in her own mind. I could tell that she did that a lot.

"Hey!!" He shouted bringing her back from her state of mind and she shook her head.

"I'm here."

"I'm not very good at controlling my temper. When I get angry... I... I don't know. Maybe, I don't have enough training.  I just can't stand losing to that damn Yuki. So about this morning, it wasn't... What I mean is... I'm sorry." I was shocked at first. For as long as I had known my best friend he has only apologized to two people. Myself and his mother. 

"I'm home. Yuki!! Tohru!! Keiko!! You all here? And Kyo I hope you're not doing something stupid and tearing up my house again." Shigure called from the downstairs room and I felt that my best friend had lost his courage.

"Oh forget it!!" He ran up to the roof and I followed him up there. This was his little secret place away from it all. All his favorite places were really high up part of the cat in him I joked. I opened the latch that led to the rooftop and entered through it and he heard the latch open and got into a fighting stance expecting it to be Yuki.

"Cool your jets fighter boy, it's just me." I teased him and he laughed at me.

"So you want to tell me what happened at Sohma house?"

"I hate Akito!!" I tensed at the tone of his voice and he shrunk into himself.

"Sorry about that, it's just she makes me so mad. She started going off about what a horrible person, friend, and sister you would be. She's making me take an entrance exam to be in the same class as that damn stinking rat. She knows how much I hate him yet envy him at the same time. Mostly she just complained how everyone leaves her and never comes back. She needs to just realize that if you abuse people you want to be close to they will never want to be close to her. She's so stuck up honestly. She was going on and on about how much she regrets your existence and wished that Hatori put up more of a fight against her advances. How disgusting is that? Like I knew that you weren't created in the best way possible and that it was the day after he was forced to wipe the love of his life's memories but how could she do such a horrible thing to someone who has been nothing but kind to her? It's such a pain the ass to be forced to take orders from someone who has never cared about anyone aside from herself. In order to be a good leader you have to put others above yourself. My master taught me that when I was confused about a decision that you made when we were kids. You're so much stronger than you believe, you know that? You might not have physical strength but you have enough emotional strength to be the strongest women that I know." He lectured on about my mother and at some point I had started crying.

"W-Why do you constantly stick up for me?" I asked my voice shaking but I had said it anyways.

"Because when I first met you, I felt it was my duty to show you that you could be the strongest person that I know."

"But I'm not strong at all, a stronger person could have fought back against my mother. Could have ran away and not looked like a coward."

"First of all you're not a coward in the slightest, the very opposite is true in fact. You saw something that could change your life forever and you went after it. Second of all the strongest person in the world would have crumbled from just the sheer exhaustion and the sheer amount of insults being thrown at you. I would have never survived living with a person like that."

"You're the strongest person I know Kyo, of course you would have survived and probably thrown a few punches yourself unlike me." He laughed dryly at me and I looked up at him and smiled at him. 

"I'm not strong at all. I mean sure, I have had training and that has helped me out most days to just survive. But, my master keeps telling me, that I need to work on my emotional connection to both people and myself. Sure, you're shy and you are weird to some people but to me you’re my family. The only one who has ever given a shit about me in the slightest."

"Kyo!! Please come down here!! We need to go back to Sohma house!!" Shigure called from downstairs and I watched my best friend scoff.

"Well, I'm needed by her royal highness herself. Wish me luck?" He joked as he gave me a helping hand off the roof.

"Yes, good luck dear sir, and do come back alive." We both laughed at each other as we went back down the stairs. Kyo left with Shigure and I went to go and eat some lunch. 

"Did you two have a nice chat?" Tohru asked me as I sat back down at the table and I took a bite from the chicken.

"Yes I did. I know he might seem brash and slightly cold hearted but he's my best friend aside from Yuki."

"I can see that he's different around you. About you and Yuki, are you two dating?" I blushed at the question and nodded my head.

"We are, only just since yesterday though." I explained to her and she sat back down across from me.

"What's it like being in a relationship?"

"It's beautiful. It helps if what you feel for the person is genuine and true. I've been in love with Yuki since we were really little kids so this is my first relationship."

"You've never dated Kyo?" I laughed full on at that one and was holding my stomach.

"No way!! He's like my brother, never in my life." She blushed at the statement. It seems like she would be good for my best friend. I'll let them solve their own problems though.

"Just curious. Anything else on your list of things to do today?" She quickly changed the subject and I raised my eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, I was going to begin to paint my bedroom." I put my dishes in the sink and helped Tohru wash the dishes.

"What were you going to paint?"

"I was going to paint the beast’s castle today and then maybe Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album cover next weekend since I start school tomorrow."

"Can I watch?"

"Certainty, Yuki and Kyo used to love watching me paint when we were kids." I opened my window so that the paint smell wouldn't stink up my bedroom and put my phone on my bluetooth speaker and put it on shuffle.

"Oh of course it has to be something humiliating..." I muttered when the female theme for one of my favorite musicals GroundHog Day began to play and Tohru walked   into my room and sat on my bed.

"I love this show!!" She exclaimed and I glanced at her skeptically.

"You love Groundhog Day?"

"Of course I do, it's one of my favorite movies. I wanted to see this show super bad but then it closed. Broke my heart."

"Same!! I have never been to New York since I was basically stuck at home and my mom never approved of my love for theater."

"Your mom sounds like a piece of work..." I laughed at her since that was probably the most insulting thing she had ever said to anyone. I began to open my paints and started with the background and grabbed my favorite brush and painted the wilderness where the beast's castle was located and sang along to one of my favorite female numbers in theater. 

_ "I was brought up on taffeta dresses and taught to be pretty and precious spending my playtimes with plastic princesses who all had those bodies just utterly ludicrous. Minuscule waists and huge boobs and it's all nippless and no creases I mean Jesus it's pretty confusing especially at six. In that fairytale world world all the girls end up happily ever after wooing their knights in shining arm but some nights down the track you can bet they'll be trapped spending nights in shining armor. While their knights spend their nights at a bar or at a ball with some harlot. I'm not bitter it's just better that I don't fall for all that romantic bullshit now that I'm older. Though I don't mind the thought of being tossed over a shoulder by some ruggedly handsome man and have him just use me for sex. As I say it's a little bit complex. One day, some day, my prince may come but it doesn't seem likely. But even if he came and he liked me it's likely he'd be not quite my type. Someday, they say, he'll come riding up on the back of a horse but of course I'm allergic to horses. How will I tell him? He'll just have to sell him. I went to school with a girl I remember her well, she was pretty smart and pretty as hell. Her folks had a farm but she wouldn't stay of course she wanted prince charming so she went to LA of course. Managed to seduce a famous actor or producer shacked up in a house in the hills with a cat and a juicer and a fancy car and a tennis court. But the guy wasn't quite the catch she thought she caught. He treats her like trash and then you know the drill. Takes his cat and his cash and finds some younger girl. So she's left with this stupid corvette and an empty swimming pool which she fills with regret. Smart girl but kinda dumb... And I'd rather be lonely then sit on my fanny waiting for my prince to come. One day, someday, he'll come in and sweep me off my feet and spend the next four years wanting to cheat on me. Getting less handsome and fighting his dragons. He'd know what to wear he'd have a full of hair and his eyes would be brown or blue or green well I don't care. And his body would be toned with those pecs like you get at the gym but he won't spend all his time at the gym. And he'll love reading books. He'll be an excellent cook, he'll be good looking but not too aware of his looks. He'll be tender and tough and smart but not smug and attentive and fawning and smell good in the morning and he'll dance and like hiking and baking and biking. I'm not picky I just ask that he like me and I like him and I'd rather be alone if the only other option is to come and sit down with some condescending clown. With a great rating from some dating service some self professing Mr. Perfect. Another narcissistic legend made a million out of hedge funds. Another sexually ineffectual self obsessing metrosexual.  Pseudo-intellectual getting drunk and existential every time the steelers lose a game. Thanks-but perhaps some other day. One day, someday my prince may come but I won't hold my breath. There's only divorcees and weirdos left. And weird is fine but not all the time. One day, someday my prince will come so the fairy tale said thirty years later it's still in my head that if I screw a frog I'll wind up in a four poster bed..." _

I was interrupted by a loud cough by my boyfriend. 

"Sorry to interrupt but I was wondering if I could hangout in here with you girls?" He asked and I paused my music and Tohru nodded moving down the bed slightly. 

"You sure sing beautifully." Tohru complimented and I blushed. 

"T-Thanks I think..." 

"It's true you really do sing like an angel sweetheart." Yuki added onto the complement train and I flushed even deeper focusing on the deer I was trying to paint on my wall. 

"You guys are biased. I'm friends with you guys..." 

"Now that's true, but that doesn't mean it's not true. Whatever your mother told you it wasn't true." 

"How'd you know that my mother hated my singing voice?" 

"Lucky guess. Still not true though, and loving Disney songs or musical theater isn't gay or childish." Tohru defended and I smiled faintly working on the sun that shone brightly on the castle.

"You're a beautiful painter too. Who taught you how to paint?" Tohru asked me and I smiled at the memory. '

"My dad loved to paint in his spare time and still does but rarely ever has any nowadays. Being the only doctor in the huge Sohma family has it's downsides." 

"That's amazing!! You're nature looks almost real!!" I flushed due to the onslaught of compliments I was receiving from everyone.

"Thank you, my father loves nature so most of the time in his free time he'll paint."

"I think it's amazing that you love your father so much. Is he the one where you get your beautiful hair from?"

"No, my hair color is the same as my mothers the one thing I love that she gave me. My green eyes are the same as my dad's." 

"I think there amazing. Who's is your favorite zodiac form?" 

"Yuki's." I answered simply like the most obvious thing in the world and laughed when he blushed.

"His is adorable too, but my younger brother Momiji's is by far my other favorite one."

"You have a younger brother?" Tohru asked me surprised and I smiled at her brightly. I really loved my brother, even though sometimes he became a little too much even for me.

“Yes I do, he’s adopted since his parents weren’t the best. Not my story to tell though when he trusts you enough he’ll tell you. Probably won’t take that long.”

"Can I see your new school uniform?" I nodded at her and motioned with my eyes towards the closet.

"It's in there. Sorry, would love to get it out for you but my hands are kind of a disaster as it would seem." She took my uniform off of my hanger and gasped at the colors.

"It's beautiful..."

"Thanks!! I picked the colors out myself."

"Do all team leaders get to do that?" 

"Yes they do, I was the last one there so that was one of the last choices." I added the final touches to the castle right as I saw Kyo come storming through the house.

"Stop. Kyo listen to me!!" Shigure called from downstairs and I knew that this was not a good day for him.

"I don't want to hear it. You think it was fun jerking me around like that?"

"Now hold on... okay it was a little bit of fun but that's not why I did it, it was for your own good. And don't forget it was Akito's decision."

"Shut up!! I don't give a damn about her or anything she stands for!! Look what she did to my best friend. I hardly know her anymore!!"

"I know Kyo, I am not her biggest fan for the moment either or ever again. She took a defenseless little girl and made her hate her very existence." I decided to carefully go down the stairs and make my entrance with paint still covering my hands and clothes.

"What happened?" I asked the two of them and they both looked up at me.

"I'm going to be in the rat and the space cadet's class as of tomorrow morning." I heard him go rushing up the stairs and to the roof yet again.

"I'm sorry..."

"About what my love? Seems like that was the cat’s problem if you ask me." Yuki asked coming back down the stairs.

"It's my fault for staying there so long, he hardly knows me anymore and if I'm honest really I don't myself anymore."

"Why don't you go up there and talk with him? Looks like he listens to you." Tohru instructed and I nodded slowly.

"I think he's mad at me..."

"That's not it sweetheart he may be an idiot but he's never been mad at you before. You're the only person he hasn't ever lost his short temper with." Yuki reminded me and I went back up to the roof leaving my other housemates in the living room and climbed up to the roof. I opened the latch and Kyo didn't get up this time.

"Want some company?" I asked him hesitantly worrying if he would finally blow his fuse with me.

"I'm getting some wether I want it or not aren't I?" He answered dryly and I chuckled watery at him.  

"Yes you are I think we need to talk." I sat down next to him and he put his arm around my shoulders in a brotherly fashion.

"Alright. You're right as usual." I giggled at him and looked off at the distance.

"What do you think is so different that you hardly know me anymore?"

"Well... I mean... It's sorta like that light that used to live in your eyes when you smiled is gone now. I used to love that about you. That you could look at life and smile at every perfect thing that you saw. You seem to be a lot darker now that it's all over. I want to see you laugh and love yourself again. Your smile used to be the highlight of my day when we were kids because it was so warm." 

"I can work harder..."

"It's not about work!! It's about innocence. She stole that innocence in her greed and her manipulativeness. I miss seeing you smile when you were around Hatori or even just that damn rat."

"I miss the old me too... I would give anything to get her back but I think that she's gone for good."

"That's not true, you can always get her back. It's not a here and gone sorta deal. She's still deep down inside of you. I bet when you play Spoonful Of Sugar or Jolly Holiday she comes back."

"I love those songs!!"

"I know you do. So do I. They were the only happy moments in that place for you weren't they?"

"Yeah they were. Even as I got older and both you and Yuki left. I watched Disney movies everyday until my mom screamed at me to turn off the childish garbage."

"We saw Hatori today. He looked really tired."

"The entire family had a cold yesterday. Plus apparently my mom is pregnant again..."

"She's what?!" 

"That was my reaction but according to my father she definitely is. No clue as to who she dragged into her bed and forced to have sex with this time though." I shuddered at the idea and so did Kyo.

"God she makes me sick!! How can a person be that horrible?"

"Wish I knew the answer. Sadly I don't think she has a reason she's just the worst human being."

"You had Hatori though. He loves you more than anything." 

"I'm aware of that reason, I love him too. He's my hero."  

"You're lucky. I had the clingy mother who was constantly worried that my bracelet had came off or the father who doesn't care that I walk this earth." 

"I'm so sorry that you weren't loved from the day one of your existence. I do believe that now we understand each other a lot better than before this whole episode though." 

"Did I tell you that I got the role of Jenna in Waitress?" I asked him excitedly and his eyes widened.

"That's amazing!! You're going to slay that role. I would love to see you be Mary Poppins though, that would be beautiful." 

"I would love that role forever." We went back downstairs and I led him into the other spare room where all the musical instruments were hiding.

"Anything in particular you would like to hear?" I asked him sitting down on the bench next to the piano.

"Can I hear Practically Perfect?" I grinned and started playing the Mary Poppins Broadway show-tune.

_ "By the time the wind has blown the weathervane around I'll show you if you can. No matter what the circumstance for the one thing I'm renowned my character is spick and span. I'm practically perfect in every way. So people say each virtue virtually knows no bound each trait is great and patiently sound. I'm practically perfect from head to toe if I had a fault it would never dare show. I'm so practically perfect in every way. Both prim and proper yet never stern well educated yet willing to learn. I'mm clean and honest and my manner is refined and I wear shoes of the sensible kind. I suffer from  no nonsense and whilst where I remain there's nothing else I need to explain. I'm practically perfect in every way practically perfect that's my forte. Uncanny nannies are hard to find  unique yet meek unspeakably kind. I'm practically perfect not slightly soiled running an engine that's been freshly oiled. I'm so practically perfect in every way."  _

"Children dinner is ready!!" I heard Kyo groan and got up off the couch that my dad had put in the center of the room. 

"Remind me why you're staying here voluntarily again?" He asked me when we got back downstairs. I laughed at him as we sat back down and heard the doorbell ring. I rushed to the door thinking it was my dad and it was. He had Momiji trailing behind him. 

"Dad!!" I gave him a giant hug not used to going three days without seeing him.

"Where's my hug?" My younger brother asked and I laughed at him.

"Sorry, mr picky over here." I engulfed my brother in a huge hug. My brother always gave me the best hugs even though he claimed that I did. 

"Who's at the door?" Tohru  came to see our visitors and I move aside so that I could introduce them.

"Tohru this is my dad Hatori Sohma and the little blonde train-wreck is my little brother Momiji."

"Who're you calling a train-wreck?"

"Sorry, you prefer twerp?" I teased and he got even more fake angry with me.

"Children children please control yourselves." My dad lectured smiling at how we bickered with one another. 

"Oh they’re fine, it's nice to met you my name is Tohru Honda. You're daughter is very talented." 

"Oh I'm surely aware, she's always been talented. It just took her sometime before she really found her passions."

"She's going to be an amazing Mary Poppins someday." She complimented as we all sat down for dinner. I flushed and Yuki took my hand holding it on top of the table. I saw my father raise his eyebrow at me expecting me to confirm his suspicions.

"Me and Yuki are dating now..." I saw Kyo's eyes widen and he growled at Yuki.

"You didn't make it apparent to tell me this earlier?"

"I didn't want you to be mad Kyo, I know that you and him are already like two completely different people." I tried to explain it to him but he was already gone and up the stairs.

"That could have gone way better. I'm so sorry guys. I'll go and talk to him." I went up to his spare room and opened his door.

"Go away..." His demand lacked his angry heat so I just shut the door behind me and sat next to him.

"Look, I'm really sorry for not telling you earlier. I didn't think you would really care much."

"You get your first boyfriend, and you think that I don't care?"

"That's not what I meant, I meant that I have no idea what I'm doing in his life..."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean why does he love me? I'm broken..."

"You are many things kind, smart, funny, talented, but broken isn't one of them."

"B-But..."

"No buts about it, you're not broken, never have been."

"Thanks Kyo, for always being there for me."

"No problem. I like doing it." He shrugged and we went back downstairs where my dad was laughing at Shigure.

"So you start school tomorrow sis?" Momiji had been calling me sis since he was nine years old. We were really close.

"Yes I do, I'm really excited!!"

"Do you know what the other show is this year?"

"I don't sorry, I'll let you know when I know though. Probably after Waitress. I really hope it's Mary Poppins or Hedwig I would love to play Yitzhak." We eat the rest of our dinner in companionable silence and I took Momiji up to my music room.

"Sometimes I wonder if Hatori really loves me like he does you..." He told me as he sat down with me next to the piano. 

"Why?" I was surprised by the statement because he was usually such a happy child.

"Well he does all these things for you that he's never done for me. Given you freedom, a music room yada yada..."

"Akito wasn't the best mother to me... I never told you this because I didn't two people worrying about me, she was insanely abusive to me."

"I... I don't know what to say..."

"Don't worry about saying the wrong things. That should be the thing that you worry about the least."

"But... You suffered alone for all these years..."

"Not fully alone. I had dad, Kyoko and Satsuki on my side." I began to play a song that we both really loved and a show that was one of our favorites, Love Never Dies. 

_ "(Me) Love is a curious thing it often comes disguised look at love the wrong way it goes un recognized. So look with your heart and not with your eyes the a heart understands a heart never lies. Believe what it feels and trust what it shows the heart always knows. Love is not always beautiful not at the start. So open your arms and close your eyes tight look with your heart and when it finds love you're heart will be right. Learn from someone who knows make sure you don't forget love you misunderstand is love that you'll regret. (Momiji) Look with your heart and not with your eyes the heart can't be fooled (Me) the heart is too wise. (Momiji) Forget what you hear (Me) Ignore what you hear. (Both) Look with your heart it always seems clear. (Momiji) Love is not always beautiful, not at the start. (Me) But open your arms and close your eyes tight. And when it finds love your heart will be right."  _

"Beautiful my darling, but we have to go. You start school tomorrow." He handed me a package and I gave him one final hug. 

"I love you so much papa." 

"Love you too princess. Everything will be perfectly fine." 

"What about me?" Momiji whined and I gave him one final hug. 

"I love you too, even if sometimes you drive me a little crazy." 

"Ditto on that action." I laughed at my baby brother as they both left and I opened the package that my father had given me and inside was a sweatshirt that would match my new school uniform perfectly. I put it on with my pajamas and noticed that my dad had already washed my new clothing. I brushed my teeth and flossed before going to sleep.

"Night all!!" I went into my room and fell right to sleep after setting a six am alarm. Once waking up I got out of bed and made sure that it was made before going quietly downstairs and into the kitchen to make breakfast for myself since the others didn't start school for three more hours. I picked the eggs out of the fridge and found some milk and Italian bread to make a scrambled egg breakfast sandwich. I heard another door close and saw Tohru come out from her room and come down the stairs. 

"Morning." I whispered to her and she gave me a hug. 

"Sorry, I'm a bit of a hugger." 

"Huh.. Like Olaf?" She laughed at me and smiled brightly.

"Exactly I love that character!!" I noticed her pajamas were frozen and had Olaf at the main center. 

"I can tell. Want a sandwich?" 

"If it's not too much trouble. I think everyone will wake up soon." I decided to make breakfast for the others as well. 

"Your father and brother are really quite lovely." 

"I'm so glad, they are the only other Sohma's that I have." 

"Can I ask you about Kyo?" 

"What about him?" 

"Well... Is he from a family like yours or is that not your story to tell?" 

"He's from a much better situation but one of a similar stature. Why?" 

"He just seems to shut people out." 

"Yeah that's kind of what he does to people he doesn't know. Has had his heart broken by too many people. Not necessarily girls either. Just people who promise things and then break them."

"How sad..."

"He's a great guy though. You kinda just got to get past his anger and you'll see the real Kyo." I heard the others doors close and Yuki came downstairs rubbing his eyes tiredly and I gave him a giant hug. 

"Finally, I get to do this first thing in the morning." He sank into the embrace and sighed when I held him.

"Please do this every morning." I chuckled at him and heard Kyo.

"Can you two move it or what?" I laughed at him, Kyo wasn't exactly much of a morning person.

"Yeah we're movin, we're moving grumpy pants."

"That's Mr. Grumpy Pants to you." I rolled my eyes and saw Tohru smile at him. I finished the rest of the sandwiches and all three of us sat down and I went into Shigure's office to deliver his.

"Shigure?"

"Good morning!!"

"Morning, I made breakfast."

"Good, good. Thank you so much. You nervous for school?"

"Not really. I mean I have my sweatshirt to hide the scars now. Maybe I'll met some nice people." He nodded and I left him to work on his manuscript.

"This is delicious!!" Tohru told me when I sat down again next to her and Yuki.

"Oh thank you, my dad actually really loves these too so I always make them for him before he starts work on his patients for the day."

"I think it's great that you and Hatori are still super close." Yuki commented and I smiled at him.

"Yeah I idolize the amount of work that he does and yet still makes time for me Momiji. You know what he asked me yesterday?"

"What?" Kyo asked slightly bored thinking it would typical Momiji garbage that he hated.

"He asked me if I thought my dad loved him as equally as he did me." They all looked at me shocked that such a smiley faced boy could ever possibly be so sad deep down.

"What did you tell him?" Yuki asked me and I answered him simply.

"I told him that looking at love with your heart and not with your eyes is the best way possible." 

"Did he know about her?"

"No I told him last night..."

"Why didn't you tell him sooner?"

"I didn't need three people worried to hell and back about the home life that I had." I cleaned the plates and got dressed for school wanting to get out of that room plus it was seven ten and team leader orientation was in twenty minutes. I put on my new sweatshirt and brushed my teeth while putting a hair band in my hair that was sparkly and bright pink.

"I'm leaving!!" I announced as I slipped on my flats.

"Bye!! Have a great day!!" Tohru called out from the kitchen where she was preparing for school.

"Bye, love you!! Have a great day!!" Yuki yelled and I heard a shout from Kyo.

"Later, be careful!!" 

I laughed at my friends and speed walked all the way to school. I couldn't wait until I saw all the people that I would be working with for the rest of the school years. I walked to the front gates right as it hit seven twenty-five. I heard the sounds of laughter coming from the first auditorium and entered that and saw the faces of ten other people. I knew I had a guy partner since team leader was a ton of work.  I wanted to find him but couldn't and thought that he could be running behind schedule. Then I saw a boy with brown hair and hazel eyes that just screamed gay boy. I didn't judge though, in fact I admired gay guys for their amount of charisma they needed to have.

"Good morning team leaders!! Most of you guys already know each other, but there are two new team leaders this year so we are going to do the typical icebreaker. You will pick one song that you can play really well on your instrument, and you will play it for everyone. You will also tell us a little bit about yourself." I smiled at that, I was good at doing that. I could easily do that there was ten people in here I have performed in front of a full theater before for drama class so I wasn't too scared.

"We're going to start with team A since they are considered to be the perfect cream of the crop group and one of our new students took over Ivy's place from last year. Her name is Keiko Sohma and she has some of the most piano skill that I have ever seen." I flushed at the praise and got up to the stage as I heard clapping from the other ten students.

"As Miss Mimi mentioned my name Keiko Sohma, I have been studying piano since I was two and it's become one of my favorite things in the entire world. I have Asperger’s so just a fair warning I might not look you in the eyes or be very good at conversation at first. I do however love and adore musical theater, my favorites include Waitress, Hedwig And The Angry Inch, Mary Poppins, Newsies, Hamilton and a lot of others." I decided that for my introduction to these guys I would do Elton John's mellow.

"I was really inspired to continue piano when I was more or less forced into the art from when my dad introduced me to my favorite artist in the entire world, Elton John. To be honest I wouldn't be here without him and my dad's profound influence on my life."

_ "Cool grass blowing up the pass don't you know I'm feeling mellow. I love your roman nose, the way you curl your toes make me feel so mellow. It's that same old feeling that I get when when you're stealing back into my bed again. With the curtains closed and the window froze by the rhythm of the rain you make me mellow, you make me mellow. Rocking smooth and slow mellow's the feeling that we get watching the coal fire grow. You make me mellow, I make you mellow wrecking the sheets real fine. Heaven knows that you sent me lord, but god this is a mellow time. Going down to the store's in town getting all the things we need. Don't forget my beer, my little dear it helps me sow the mellow seed. And it can't be bad, all the love I've had coursing through my life. Down in the pass where the wind blows fast and the mellows feeling right. Oh I make you mellow oh you make me mellow. Rocking smooth and slow mellows the feeling that we get watching the coal fire grow. Oh I make you mellow oh you make me mellow. Wrecking the sheets real fine. Heaven knows that you sent me lord, but god this is a mellow time. Oh you make me mellow oh you make me mellow. Rocking smooth and slow mellows the feeling that we get watching the coal fire grow. Oh you make me mellow oh I make you mellow. Wrecking the sheets real fine. Heaven knows that you sent me lord, but god this is a mellow time. Oh, oh, oh, oh. Wrecking the sheets real fine. Heaven knows that you sent me lord, but god this a mellow time." _

I heard cheering from all angles once I had finished my song and quietly sat back down in the second row where nobody was there. I watched as the brown haired boy went back up to the front stage and it looked like he would be my partner. He also grabbed a stool and an acoustic guitar that was obviously his own.

"Hi my name is Eric, most of you remember me from last year when I was team B's leader but I'm super shook to be working with the best of the best this year!! My passions include obviously musical theater, I am fully in love with Hedwig and Hamilton. But I'm also really open minded and love Groundhog Day, Natasha Pierre and The great Comet of 1812. I also love sketching..." Like I thought total gay boy. When he began to strum his guitar casually and went into surprisingly an acoustic version of Sugar Daddy from Hedwig. Huh... Never thought I'd see that or need it in my life. When he finished to rousing applause he actually came to sit by me in the second row. 

"My name is Eric, looks like we'll be working together. Nice to meet you." He whispered to me and I smiled and shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you too. You know it's funny, I never thought that I would need or want to hear an acoustic version of Sugar Daddy before."

"I thought it would be unique and different. You like Hedwig?"

"Love it, a whole lot, it changed my life."

"Oh my god same!! It's what helped me figure out that I was gay!!"

"That's incredible, I really idolized Lena Hall's portal of Yitzhak for a really long time. He's one of my favorite characters in general."

"That makes a lot of sense, she's an inspirational powerhouse. Have you ever seen it?"

"No, I've never seen a real Broadway show before."

"Oh you poor thing, I'm originally from New York City."

"That's amazing!! What's it like?"

"Incredible. It's really, really busy and most of my family still lives there."   

"I could never do that. Leave my entire family here and go halfway across the country." By that point all of the other team leaders had gone for their numbers and they were really quite good but Miss Mimi came to us during our last fifteen minutes. 

"Can I speak to both of you please?" She asked and I nodded along with Eric. I wondered what she could possibly want as we walked backstage to talk to her. 

"So I've been thinking..." 

"A dangerous pastime." I sang as a joke that I did with my dad and sometimes Kyo though most often I would get a smack upside the head teasingly.

"I know." Eric finished and I knew automatically that we would be really great friends. 

"I thought you two would be a really great fit for each other. So here's my idea. I want to do Hedwig in the springtime, I try to do one show meant for families and one for more the adult's and teen's going through rough patches in their lives to try to make them feel better and I think that Hedwig is perfect for that." I knew at this moment that somebody needed to pinch me since this was so clearly a dream that my brain had concocted in an effort of a long day.

"No fucking way?!" Eric gasped looking like he was about to faint.

"Yes way!! You two had best prepare yourselves.  You're going to be Hedwig and Yitzhak ." She then turned on her heel and went towards the door.

"I have to make a few calls for costumes and wigs but I can pretty much do whatever shows I want." She then shut the door and I fell to the ground at the same time as Eric did.

"She's not kidding... Holy shit, I'm going to be Hedwig..."

"I-I'm going to be Yitzhak... If this is a dream somebody never wake me up."

"Same..." We took a few moments to gather our bearings and then we were interrupted by a bell and Miss Mimi's voice. 

_ "Everyone please head to the auditorium... Everyone please head to the auditorium for further introduction and an announcement for our shows this year!!"  _

"Eric, I don't think she was kidding around." 

"Yeah mean either... Which means that holy fuck I'm going to be my biggest dream role in the spring!!"  He helped me off the ground and I texted my two best friends to let them know the big news.

_ Me: I know that you two are in class right now but this is really huge and I am about ready to scream... I'm going to be Yitzhak in the spring!! _

"Who are you texting?" Eric asked me as people started fill the massively huge theater. 

"My two best friends in the next town over, they're not big theater fans but are willing to support me in anyway they can." 

"Hmm... Sounds like my family back home. What's your's like?" 

"It's not the greatest, but my dad is the best father in the whole wide world!!" 

"I thought I saw scars when you're sweatshirt sleeve slipped down. Mom?" I gasped and fixed my sweatshirt sleeve since it had slipped off my tiny shoulder. I was shellshocked that he was so good at reading me.  

"Yep, I'm fine though Eric don't worry about me..." 

"Too late. I'm your new best friend here so you bet your ass I'm going to be worried. At least tell me you’re safe?" 

"Most certainty... I told her this was I needed to do and she all but threw me out of the house." I was interrupted by Miss Mimi.

"Good morning students!! I have three huge announcements. Firstly I want to introduce you to the team leaders for your groups." Me and Eric walked out there arm and arm and smiled brightly at the rapturous applause that seemed to ooze from every pore.

"We'll start with group A..."

"Hi my name is Eric Williamson and I am more than happy to have been bumped up in the world to group A and to get to work with someone this talented even though I have only met her this morning is a whirlwind." I blushed at the praise that he was giving me and took my turn up at the microphone next. 

"Umm Hi my name is Keiko Sohma and even though this is my first year I was so elated when I received my acceptance letter. I have Asperger’s but that doesn't limit my ability to be in front of people as you can see nearly a full house and I'm perfectly fine. I can't wait to work with my partner Eric this year and think that it'll be one hell of a ride." I went back offstage and checked my phone and saw two texts from Satsuki and none from Kyoko probably in a class.

"What's she say?" Eric asked me as the group girl went next.

"She said bitch yes!! I'm so jealous right now you literally have no idea. Then her second text said you better have front row seats or I'm no longer your best friend."

"What's her name? I like this girl already."

"Her name is Satsuki, she's my best friend since I was ten other than my boyfriend Yuki Sohma or my best friend Kyo Sohma."

"Wait hold up, are you and your boyfriend related?"

"Not by blood no, we are by marriage."

"Not exactly ideal, but I guess there's nothing wrong with it..."

"Please don't judge me?"

"I'm not judging you, just looking out for your heart is all." We went through the other students and Eric gave me a hug. I had never been happier to not have a zodiac form in my entire life, that would have been hard to explain. But his embrace was warm and caring.

"Thank you for not judging me."

"As long as he makes you happy, that's all that matters. I am still in need of a man in my life but I'm always looking."

"What's your type?"

"Sort of shy but cute at the same time. Sorta like you. I love that headband by the way, where did you get it?"

"I bought it at the mall a long time ago just to keep the curls out of my eyes." I turned when Miss Mimi took the stage again.

"It's time to announce the shows for this year. The first one will be a family show then the one in the springtime I look for more adults and kids going through rough patches in life. Group A's show's will be Waitress in the fall this year and most of you are going to be techies in the springtime since our show will only have seven characters, but it's been a dream project of mine and that's Hedwig and The angry Inch." I heard applause from all angles at that one and smiled at Miss Mimi.

"I was inspired to do Waitress from a demo that I had seen from the Group A leader Keiko Sohma." At that my demo began to play and my voice rang out into the theater and I blushed when Eric rested his chin upon my head.

"Anyone ever tell you that you sing like an angel?" 

"No, not a lot of people except for my dad and my boyfriend."

"I like this boyfriend of yours you'll have to introduce me to him."

"Just as long as you don't steal him we'll be cool."

"No promises on that one honey." I laughed full on at him as the video ended and we walked back out onto the stage and Eric grabbed his guitar already having an idea.

"I got the idea for Hedwig last year but I didn't have a girl to be Yitzhak until now." Miss Mimi explained as I heard the chords to one of my favorite songs Long Grift begin to play.

_ "Look what you've done you gigolo. You know that I loved you hon and I didn't want to know that you're cool seductive serenade was a tool of your trade. Of all the riches you've surveyed and all that you can lift, I'm just another dollar that you made in your long, long grift. Look what you've done you gigolo another hustle has been run, and now you outta know that this fool can no longer be swayed by the tools of your trade you gigolo. I'm just another John you gypped another sucker stiffed a walk on role in the script to your long, long grift. The love that had me in your grip was just a long, long grift..."  _

I heard more applause than i had ever heard in my entire life and I smiled brightly loving that I could do this to people. Make them feel this elated and happy to be alive right now. We went through all the other groups and then split for lunch. I went with Eric to a quiet family restaurant down the street from the school, the same one that I was at a few days ago.  

"So, tell me about your dad." Eric asked me when we sat down and looked at the menu's. 

"He's incredible, smart, he's the doctor for my huge family so he's almost always busy, he helped me find myself. What about your family?" I saw him hesitate for a few minutes and knew that it almost had to be the same as mine and that he was lying before so that I wouldn't worry about him. 

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." I told him and I saw him briefly smile at me before shaking his head. 

"No you deserve to know that my mom was a homophobic asshole. Yeah not my dad, he's great a lot like yours except he's a lawyer. She was physically and mentally abusive to me since I came out to her when I was nine." 

"I'm so sorry, I don't know about homophobic but my mom is the worst person that I have ever met in my entire life. She was very admit that my brother Momiji not be gay, so she was homophobic towards him but never towards me."  

"You have a brother?" 

"Adopted but yes he's my brother in everything but blood." 

"Tell me about him." 

"He's not exactly shy, but he's extremely sweet and kindhearted annoys my best friend Kyo to the moon and back again." I smiled and thought they would be adorable together. 

"How old is he?" I could tell that Eric was interested in my younger brother so I told him honestly. 

"He's only a year younger than me, though he acts younger than he actually is. You'll probably met him when we open for Waitress in a few months." 

"That's actually really cute..." 

"I thought you might say that. He's amazing, constantly trying to help me out." 

I ordered my strawberry lemonade and so did Eric and I wasn't too hungry but that apple and fruit salad looked super good. 

"What are you hungry for?" Eric asked chuckling when I spaced out. 

"I had kind of a large breakfast this morning so I was only going to get some fruit salad." I wasn't expecting him to do what I was thinking in the back of my mind.

"Yummy yummy." 

"No way!! You watched the wiggles growing up too?!" 

"Oh my god yes!! They were my ideals growing up." 

"Same thing here. What's your favorite Disney Movie?" 

"Beauty and The beast and Mary Poppins. Always dreamed of playing Bert and Hedwig. Really different types of people." 

"Those are my favorites too!! I love the old classic animated film. My dream roles are Mary Poppins, Yitzhak obviously and of course I love Jenna in Waitress as well." 

"Tell me about your other music idols. I know Elton John can't be the only one who changed your life." 

"Hmm... I love old David Bowie, he was my childhood idol, John Cameron Mitchell was also my childhood idol since Hedwig's movie was my introduction and I was nine when my dad put it in his DVD player for both me and Momiji. I also have to love and admire Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison since the Beatles were my first real band obsession before Queen came into the picture and blew my ever loving mind. What about yourself?"

"Obviously huge John Cameron Mitchell fan over here, watched the movie when I was ten after a really bad fight with my mom my dad came and brought his DVD player and eventually he got a divorce from her so we no longer really needed her and he came out to me as forever bisexual. I also really love Syd Barrett, but more of Roger Waters type of person, since Pink Floyd's The Wall is one of my favorite albums in the history of life. I adore John Lennon and Freddie Mercury and of course, if you're gay you kinda gotta love Elton John, he's too awesome not to love." 

"My dad loves and adores Roger Waters!! I forgot all about those guys they are my best friend Kyo and Satsuki favorite bands." Our waitress came back and I ordered the fruit salad which came with vanilla dressing and took one of the bread rolls as well when Eric ordered the chicken sandwich with french fries. 

"Really? What about Nirvana?" 

"Love them too, never really got into the grunge genre but I freaking love Nirvana and Kurt Cobain. Maybe because I related to his past and a lot of what he did made me smile. When he was happy I think he was truly his best self. I really do think that he's one of the brightest, funniest and smartest musicians in the entire world." 

"I completely agree. He's truly brilliant and not to mention rather cute." 

"Yeah he was really handsome, not my type in the slightest, but really cute." 

"Show me a picture of your boyfriend." I grabbed my phone so that I could show him a picture of Yuki. I found the perfect one where the sunlight had hit him in just the right angel. I laughed when his eyes widened and he started blushing. 

"Okay, you win this boy is really cute. What's his name?" 

"Yuki." I sighed and thought of how perfect my life was now that I finally broke free of that home and was finally free of everything.

"You'll never have to go back if I have anything to say about it. What's your favorite Pink Floyd song?" 

"That's difficult but I do have a favorite, it's mother."

"Mine too. David Bowie?" 

"Three way toss up all on the same album, Starman, Suffragette City and Soul love. But I also really love Underground from Labyrinth."

"I really love Under Pressure and those songs as well. Well if we're talking Labyrinth my favorite song is As The World Falls Down."

"That song is amazing though too!! Dream first wedding dance right there."

"Mine too, though my pastor will have to talk like the pastor in Princess Bride."

"Mawwige. Mawwige is what bwings us here today. Mawwiage, that bwessed awwangement, that dweam within a dweam. And wove, twue wove, wiww fowwow you fowevah and evah… So tweasuwe youw wov."

"Oh my god!! That's amazing!!" He busted out laughing and wouldn't stop until our food arrived and the server looked at us like we were crazy. 

"I can pretty much quote that entire movie at this point." I took a fry from his plate and he laughed at me. 

"Thought you weren't hungry?" He teased.

"Meh... I always have room for fries." I took a sip of my drink and ate my fruit salad when Yuki texted me. 

_ Yuki: Hello my love, how is your first day going? Make any new friends?  _

_ Me: Hey babe, I did make a new friend. His name is Eric, I really love him he's super cool. How's school with Kyo going? _

_ Yuki: Ugh... I hate that stupid cat!!  _

_ Me: Is it really that horrible?  _

_ Yuki: Yes it is. I'm just so jealous of him!! I mean he can talk to whomever he damn so wishes and I have to work hard to make people like me.  _

_ Me: You just have to be yourself Yuki, once people see the real you then you won't have to hide anymore. _

_ Yuki: Anyway tell me about your new friend.  _

_ Me: He's really great, easy to talk to, relatable, kind, really sweet, funny, loves Hedwig and other musicals, down to earth and extremely gay. _

_ Yuki: Wow, sounds like quite the character. I'm excited to met him!! _

_ Me: Are you sure that you're okay? I mean I know that you and Kyo have never gotten along even when we were children. Rivalry is a good thing and you're both very similar. A little too similar and that often gets in your way.  _

_ Yuki: Don't worry about me my love I'll be fine. I love you so so much and you're so kind. I know that you're right about most everything and this is one of the things where it's pointless arguing with you. I have to go back to class, have a great rest of your day with Eric!! _

"Texting lover boy?" Eric batted his eyelashes at me and I giggled eating the rest of my fruit salad. 

"Am I really that obvious?" 

"No just to people who have been there done that with a boyfriend." 

"Mind telling me what happened?" 

"He didn't want to do the long distance..." 

"I'm so sorry. Did he support you?" 

"Oh yes more than anything, I loved him too much I think..." 

"That tends to happen, I'm still sorry." 

"Don't be we're still good friends actually. He comes to all my shows actually." 

"Oh then I'll met him in the fall huh?" 

"You most certainly will. I think you'll like him, he's really pretty great at being a friend."

"You want to see a picture of Momiji? That's the name of my younger brother." He nodded his head frantically and I laughed while grabbing another bread roll and opened my phone finding a picture on his Instagram rather quickly. I only really had one to keep in touch with my brother and my three best friends. I found a really cute one of my brother and showed it to my best friend. 

"Oh my god!! He's so adorable!! I just want to cuddle him."

"Welcome to my world. We're super close." We left the restaurant and went on our way back to our school to met the other people who would be in our group.

"That sounds like me and my twin sister." 

"You have a twin sister?!" 

"Yep. Her name is Christine, my father named her after Christine Daee in Phantom Of The Opera." 

"I love that musical!!" 

"So do I!! It's one of my favorites. Anyways, she's amazing and super inspiring and beautiful." 

"You're amazing, I love how open you are." 

"Me?" 

"Yes you. I've always been jealous of people who are gay and open about it. It's amazing that you can talk so openly with people." 

"Well thank you. I mean that means a lot to me, I'm always looking for people who understand and get me as a person." 

"It's not that hard to understand you. I mean we're really similar I can totally see why Miss Mimi put us together. Alright I get the next question. If you were to have one line not from Hedwig that changed your life and helped you accept yourself what would it be?" 

"That's really hard but I have an obsession with Kinky Boots and my quote would be from the finale 'Accept yourself and you'll accept others too.'" 

"I love that show mine would be just be who you wanna be never let em tell you who you oughta be just be with dignity celebrate yourself triumphantly."

"That's a great one too!! I really love how sweet and kind you are to people. Like you see things and don't even bate an eyelash at them."

"It comes with being an Aspe we're a generally kind hearted bunch of people and we love to see others happy." We arrived back at school just in time for the grouping and the icebreaker for the afternoon. Then tomorrow we had our regular classes and practice for Waitress after school to prepare for opening night on November fifth.

"Alright kids and students you may now go and get into the groups that I have previously assigned you. This is the time to get to know you're team leaders and learn everything that you can about them. They're really amazing people and they have very helpful and kind souls." I saw a group of about thirty other students come and sit around me and Eric most of them smiling and excited to be here but one blond hair and blue eyed girl was sending me the death glare... I'd ask Eric about that later maybe he knew something about that. I looked down and began twiddling my thumbs and avoiding the contact of almost everyone until Eric's hand gently took mine and nodded as an affirmation that he could handle this.

"Do you guys have any questions for us?" Eric asked the group and I saw said blonde haired girl raise her hand.

"Yeah I got a question, what's the mouse got that I don't?" Then I realized that this had to be Ivy, the girl that I was replacing and she obviously wasn't too keen on that. 

"Well could you handle both the emotional baggage and the physical excretion that it'll take to become Yitzhak because if you do Ivy I would be over the moon to see that."

"Who's Yitzhak?" She asked in a bratty tone of voice and I heard collective gasps of almost everybody in our entire group plus the other groups.

"She's the husband of Hedwig, the main character in Hedwig and The angry Inch." I told her held high trying not allow another critic take control of my life again.

"And he's played by a women why? Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"You make a decent point there Ivy, but when John Cameron Mitchell was writing the characters of Hedwig and Yitzhak he wanted to reverse the roles and make it more relevant for people going through a gender crisis."

"What sort of name is Yitzhak and Hedwig anyhow? Why not make them something normal?"

"Hedwig is from east Berlin and my character Yitzhak is from a small island called Croatia."

"I still think it sounds lame."

"And that's you're own opinion that we're all welcome too, but just because I took your spot that used to be here doesn't mean that you can try to boss me around. I have had it happen to me once and it's not happening to me again." That seemed to shut her up thank god.

"Does anyone else, other than Ivy have questions for us?" I saw a multitude of hands raise all at the same time.

"Yes Mark." Eric pointed to a boy with long braided hair and it actually looked really good.

"What other concerts does Miss Mimi have planned for this year?" He asked and I answered this one.

"Well other than the two musicals for this year I haven't heard anything about other projects."

"Me either, so other than the Christmas show, Mark we really have no idea. I have an idea why don't we all go around introducing ourselves to one another since we're both pretty knew at this." Eric changed the topic and all the people went around in the group circle me trying to remember each name and face at least. After me and Eric went it was time for a girl with glasses and a brown hair. 

"My name is Dottie and my favorite show is Waitress." She brushed a stray curl from her face and smiled shyly at the rest of us. The girl next to her was obviously her best friend and thought that these two were going to be my Dawn and Becky in Waitress.

"My name Rebecca and my favorite show is Hedwig and The Angry Inch." Then went Ivy the ice queen I was officially calling her in the back of my head.

"Ivy favorite show is Bombshell." She rolled her eyes at something she probably thought was a waste of her precious time.

"My name is Mark and my favorite show is Beauty And The Beast." He would probably be my other closest friend other than Eric around these parts.

"My name is Katherine and my favorite show is the Broadway production of Newsies." We went on like that and by the end it was time to go home for the day. I was confronted by Miss Mimi before myself and Eric left for the day.

"I'm thinking now that having Ivy is going to be a very bad idea on your team. I'll remove her and put her with group B."

"No." I told her simply and she and Eric both looked at me as if I had grown a third head on my shoulders.

"I can't have people constantly getting rid of my critics Miss Mimi. I know and I thank you for trying to help me out but I don't really think that's necessary I can stick it to her myself."

"Fine but if she's any trouble, she's walking got it?"

"Got it."

"Good. You two should start planning for the music videos for the website. At least have one duet in their somewhere the other six we'll conspire into an album." I looked really confused and I felt Eric sling his arm around my shoulder.

"I'll explain it to you." We both left the school and headed for the place where Eric lived in an apartment complex close to my home.

"Okay so each team leader gets an album that they get to create of about fifteen songs at the maximum. Most of them are covers though some people do original content. We do music videos with six of them just us and our instruments." 

"Alright that makes sense." We stopped in front of his complex and he stole my phone from my purse.

"What are you doing?"

"Giving you my number." He said simply and handed it back to me.

"See ya tomorrow partner."

"See you tomorrow Eric." I laughed at him and went home in less than four minutes. 

"I'm back!!" I called out to the house and heard Yuki come rushing down the stairs from school. He kissed me on the lips and I gasped in surprise before I kissed him back. When he pulled back I laughed at his facial expression.

"What?"

"Nothing you just looked adorable that's all. Where's everyone else?" 

"Tohru is shopping for food, Shigure is at Sohma house and Kyo... I actually don't know where he is."

"Some help you are." I teased him and he smiled brightly at me.

"You look like you had a great day." He smiled his adorable smile and I melted somewhere in my body.

"I really did, Eric is amazing!! He's so awesome!!"

"That sounds like a great day, wish I could share the sentiment."

"Was it really worse then when you were children?"

"Pretty much... I mean I just wish he knew how loved that he truly was."  

"I'll go and talk to him." I told him and he smiled at me as I went up the stairs to try his bedroom first and then the roof. I knocked on his door and I opened when he grunted probably thinking it was Yuki. 

"Hey Kyo, how was your day today?" I asked as I flopped onto his bed. 

"Pretty good, considering that I'm in the same class with the rat  and I have to watch the girls fawn over him consistently." 

"I know that he'll never be you're favorite person Kyo, but he's trying to relate to you. You're not with your dad anymore he cares and so do I." 

"What are you talking about? He doesn't have the heart to care for me." 

"He told me that he wants you to know all those people in the world who happen to love you." I saw him roll his eyes at me. 

"Nobody loves me, and he knows that." 

"I love you, you’re my older brother in everything but blood and I've never lied to you and I'm not starting now." He smiled at me brightly and I chuckled at him. 

"What?" 

"You're adorable." He pinched my cheek knowing my my biggest pet peeve. 

"Gah!! Lay of!!" I saw him smirk at me knowing what my other weakness was, that I was extremely ticklish in my feet and pretty much everywhere. I heard Yuki open the door and he started laughing and joined in with his cousin to torment me. I was laughing so hard and nearly fell off Kyo's bed but Yuki caught me.

"You guys are cruel."

"Hey you picked to be best friends with us all those years ago." Kyo informed me and I smiled at him.

"Best choice I ever made." He gave me a giant hug that Yuki joined in with.

"Now you two should leave I have a lot of work to do." We left the room and I went to my room and checked my phone and saw a text from Eric.

_ Eric: Hey girlfriend!!  _

_ Me: Hi Eric, find your songs yet? _

_ Eric: Yeah I did. I'm going to make Chim Chim Cher-ee, Wicked Little Town, Everybody Say Yeah, and I want the others to be a surprise. _

_ Me: Those sound amazing!! I might want to do Wig In A Box, Feed The Birds, Everything Changes, and maybe for our duet Midnight Radio... _

_ Eric: I really love the way that you think, what about for regular music on the rest of your album? _

_ Me: I really want to create a piano version of Mother. _

_ Eric: That's a brilliant idea!! I am probably going to Blackbird as well. Maybe Raise A Little Hell from Bonnie and Clyde. I kinda have a Jeremy Jordan problem... _

_ Me: Join the club!! I love him, I might make one of my other songs Santa Fe from Newsies.  _

_ Eric: I love that show so much!! Wait show or movie? _

_ Me: Show, never seen the movie... _

_ Eric: We have to have a musical sleepover soon.  _

_ Me: I could go for that!!  _

I heard a knock on my door and assumed it was either Tohru or Shigure. 

"Come in!!" Tohru came through the door with a bright smile. 

"You want to help with dinner?" 

"Sure, I'm actually really hungry." I turned off my phone and went downstairs to help with dinner. 

"So how was your day?" She asked me as I started chopping veggies for the curry that she was making for everyone. 

"Pretty amazing, I made a really great friend his name is Eric, extremely gay but at the same time he's one of the most inspiring people that I have ever been around." 

"That sounds awesome!! Actually about that is your brother..." 

"Gay as gay gets totally. Is that a problem?" 

"Not with me. Love is love in my personal opinion." 

"I think the same thing. I have to plan out an album that is going to be recorded." 

"That's amazing!!" 

"All the team leaders get to do one for their first project, you just have to do one duet with your partner." 

"Partner?" 

"Yep, it's a lot of work being a team leader so there are two per group. My partner is Eric." 

"Well I guess that worked out. I don't really need you for anything else. You should go plan out that album of your's." I nodded and rushed upstairs to my music room. I sat down at the piano and looked under a desk and found a piano booklet for The Wall and flipped through it till I found the page where Mother resided. There was also one for David Bowie's  Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars along with a booklet full of songs for Hedwig.

_ "Mother do you think they'll drop the bomb? Mother do you think they'll like this song? Mother do you think they'll try to break my balls? Ooh ahh mother should I build the wall? Mother should I run for president? Mother should I trust the government? Mother will they put me in the firing line? Ooh ahh is it just a waste of time? Hush now baby, baby, don't you cry.  Mama's gonna make all your nightmares come true, mama's gonna put all her fears into you. Mama's gonna keep you right here, under her wing she won't let you fly, but she might let you sing. Mama's gonna keep baby cosy and warm. Ooooh baby, ooooh baby, ooooh baby, of course Momma's gonna help build the wall. Mother do you think he's good enough, for me? Mother do you think he's dangerous, to me? Mother will he tear your little girl apart? Oooh ah, mother will her break my heart? Hush now baby, baby, don't you cry. Mama's gonna check out all your boyfriends for you. Mamma won't let anyone dirty get through Mama's gonna wait up until you get in, mamma will always find out where you've been. Mama's gonna keep baby healthy and clean. Oooooh baby, oooh baby, oooh baby.... Mother did it need to be so high?" _

"I see you found what I bought for you yesterday when I went out with Shigure." Kyo mentioned standing in the doorframe. 

"Thank you Kyo!! You actually couldn't have had better timing with this it's awesome." 

"Did you know that they made that album into a movie?" 

" I didn't know that, I know that the album was based off of Roger Waters's life story with his crazy overprotective mother but not that it was a movie." 

"The movie is actually super good, Shigure bought it for my last birthday. Want to watch it with me?" 

"And here I thought that you had work to do..." 

"I finished it, I'm all caught up in Yuki's stupid classes." 

"Great work Kyo!! Yeah let's go and watch the movie." I followed him down to the family room where dinner was ready. I found the movie rather simply and put it inside the DVD player and saw the opening screen. 

"That's actually kind of creative." 

"Yeah the art in this movie is super stylized. I was actually waiting to watch this movie with you, though I watched it back at Sohma house actually with your dad."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he helped me out a lot back in those days." Yuki came into the family room carrying three bowls.

"No don't help I got this." He drawled sarcastically and I laughed at him taking me and Kyo's and heading back to the couch.

"What are you two clowns watching?" Tohru and Shigure came into the family room as well and glanced at the tv.

"Oh you're watching The Wall. Can we join?" I looked at Kyo to make sure that it was alright with him and he shrugged.

"Go ahead it won't mind us." We pressed the play button and all gathered around the screen and watched the craziness unfold that was at the same time beautiful storytelling and just how I would imagine it would be filmed. Mother, was of course the song that had me in tears since that song was the most relatable thing ever written in my eyes and I had to pause it afterwards.

"S-Sorry about that guys. I should have known that would have made me cry. " Then I looked at Kyo who was crying too. I realized that I wasn't alone in this and that song was just as emotional for him then it was for me.

"It's fine it's always done that same exact thing to me." We got through the rest of the movie without anymore problems and I was worried that Tohru would judge me until she was the first to speak after drying her tears.

"That was really beautiful. My mom loved that movie, she always said that I was way too little to watch it."

"It's not gore or anything just emotionally sort of crushing since that was his actual life." Yuki added on and I smiled very tear stricken at the emotional story. 

"I think that might be one of my favorite movies, I saw it in the theaters with Hatori when it was originally out and we both loved it. First time I ever saw Hatori cry, we were in high school. He was a huge Roger Waters fanboy and he needed to see that movie, at first I was kind of shellshocked because he almost never went to the movies and Ayame was too busy on opening weekend. But as we sat down in the theater and we sat through it I fell in love with the music and the animation along with tragedy of Pink as a character." Shigure explained and I smiled at the thought of my dad waiting in the freezing cold and waiting for the movie to come out on VHS which he still treasures to this day since he got it signed by Roger Waters in a concert.

"Mine too, I related to him when I was younger since I was a lost soul a lot of the time and my mom was really overprotective. Not in the trying to run my life sorta way but just always checking for my bracelet." 

"Well we all know the horror of my mother and that disaster. But, here's the real kicker, when she found out about my obsession with this album, she would use it against me." I admitted for the first time and not even Hatori knew about this.

"Wait, how do you mean?" Kyo sat up and looked at me. 

"Well for an example, when she pushed me down the stairs she sang Mother right before that..." 

"The fuck?!" He exclaimed and I wasn't in the mood to explain this to him or anyone else around me. But they all massively embraced me and I sank into the embrace breathing in deeply. 

"I'm so sorry that happened my love. She's just twisted up in so many ways at this point." Yuki told me and I got up going to the freezer to see if they had some ice cream. 

"I mean it's too late now... I'm out of that house and that's the good thing." I found some Americone Dream which was my favorite flavor in a pint size, I grabbed three spoons so so that I could split it with my three best friends. 

"You two want some Americone?"  

"Was that a question?" Kyo laughed and took a spoon from my hand and took the first bite.

"Hey, whose idea was this anyway?" I teased taking the second bite. 

"You, you're the beautiful genius here." I blushed at Yuki's comment and both of them laughed at me. 

"Geez and I'm friends with you two why?" 

"Because you're the only person who keeps us from wringing each other's necks." 

"That's true but she only brings out your good qualities." Yuki informed him and I smiled at him. 

"Without you guys I would probably be lost face down in a ditch." They both laughed at me. 

"Tell me, how was your first day?" Kyo asked as he took a spoonful of ice cream. 

"It was amazing!! I made a new good friend his name is Eric, he's amazing!! He's so nice and funny. I think he'll make a great partner for me, comes from a similar home life and all that noise." 

"You guys have partners?" 

"Because being a team leader is a ton of work that needs to get done so we all get to have buddies and partners." 

"And you like your's?" 

"Yeah he's incredible!! He's super gay, I think that he'll make a good partner for Momiji." 

"Normally I would tell you to be careful with playing matchmaker but you seem to know what you're doing here." Yuki informed me taking a spoonful of ice cream. 

"I most definitely know what I'm doing here. Eric wants to have a musical sleepover soon in the near future. He's from New York and has seen Hedwig And The Angry Inch." 

"That's incredible, you love that show right?" 

"Yes I do, it's one of my favorites. You'll get to see it the spring." 

"You guys are doing Hedwig?!" Yuki exclaimed and I laughed at him. 

"Yeah Miss Mimi does one show for families which will be Waitress, and one show for teens who are going through a rough patch in life though anyone can come. I get to play my favorite character Yitzhak he's from Croatia." 

"That's amazing!! I'm sure that you'll slay him." I put away the ice cream before we were tempted to eat the entire thing and got ready for bed.

"Night you two, see you all tomorrow." I closed my door and got back on my phone to check my texts from Eric. 

_ Eric: Are you free over the weekend? _

_ Me: Yes I am sorry it took me so long to reply. I was watching The Wall with my family. _

_ Eric: Oh my god, did you cry a lot? _

_ Me: Everyone in my family did it was truly beautiful. _

_ Eric: One of my favorite movies, even if I almost never watch it.  _

_ Me: It was rather depressing and sad of not true and beautiful at the same time.  _

I turned off my phone again and grabbed my stuffed seahorse and fell asleep.

I woke up a little bit later and had to skip breakfast and rush to get ready. I ran into the music room grabbing the three booklets and shoving them into my newsies messenger bag grabbing my wallet and my cellphone with my headphones. I grabbed my uniform and quickly got dressed fixing my hair and slipping on my shoes and running out the door at seven twenty. I was rushing so fast that I accidentally ran into Eric. 

"Damn girl, you look like a women on a mission. What's wrong?"

"I was rushing to get to school since I overslept this morning and had to skip breakfast."

"We'll go out to lunch again today, and we have to present at least one of our songs to Miss Mimi before all the students get there."

"What song are you going to present?"

"I am going to present an acoustic version of  Everybody say yeah. What about you?"

"Probably welcome to the renaissance from something rotten. I found some awesome things in my music and art room yesterday."  

"You draw?"

"All the time, it's one of my favorite things in the entire world."

"Shut up!! Mine too."

"It's really weird the amount of stuff that we have in common. By the way what day do you want to do this musical sleepover?"

"Tomorrow, Friday night work with your schedule?"

"Yep that works perfectly well with mine. Should I bring anything?"

"Just yourself and a favorite plush or stuffed animal if you have one. I'll handle everything else. Any food allergies or anything like that?"

"Nope, nothing that my father has diagnosed me with over the years."

"Oh do you like sweets candy, ice cream or brownies?"

"Love them and so does my brother, favorite ice cream is Americone Dream, the Stephen Colbert Ben and Jerry's ice cream."

"I love that flavor!!" We walked through the school and into the auditorium just in time as Miss Mimi grabbed her microphone.

"Morning students!! I hope you have picked out your first song to present to me this morning. I'll have group A go first again so that means that Keiko is going first." I brushed a stray dark purple curl from my head and adjusted my headband and went up to the stage.

"I fell in love with the musical Something Rotten! when I was in my freshman year of high school and my dad brought it up to me. I have a really big love for listening to cast albums since I almost never see the shows in real life. If I were to have a dream show to see it would probably be this one."

_ "War of the roses, Chaucer's tales, the brutal federal system. Holy crusades bubonic plague. Can't say we've really missed em. So dark and barbaric so dull and mundane. That was so middle ages, that was so Charlemagne. Welcome to the Renaissance with poets painters and bon vivants and merry minstrels who stroll the streets of London a strumming their lutes  in puffy pants and pointy leather boots. Welcome to the Renaissance where we ooh and ahh you with ambiance we're so progressive the latest and the greatest we bring it to you with much ado welcome to the Renaissance where everything is new! Here we've made advances in the sciences we have the latest gadgets and appliances. Our mugs are made of pewter, our all are Tudor decorated with a modern flare. See us in our petticoats and our trendy birds we trim to look like swallowtails. We're called Elizabethans, they're all a bunch of heathens, heathens heading for you know where. While witches are burning and wars tend to start we bring you moments of culture and art. Welcome to the Renaissance where our printing press has a fancy font that's right we're fancy and very literary theatrical too, it's what we do welcome to the Renaissance where everything is new. Hey, look, it's Francis Bacon with a chicken, what's he making? Well I think he's found a way of freezing meat!! That's new. Hey look it's Walter Raleigh, found a new world by golly and he's brought us all tobacco what a treat also new and we have a lot of writers who are always writing something new. It's true, we do!! Like who? Like who? Like Dekker Whoo!!  John Webster Whoo!! Ben Jonson and Christopher Marlowe!! Thomas Kidd, Thomas Middleton, Thomas More and our brightest star Whoo!! He's the bomb, the soul of age the wiz of the Elizabethan stage. He's incredible unforgettable he's just so freaking awesome!! Shakespeare!! Shakespeare!! We love him, we love him, we love him, we love him, we love him, we love him, we love him. His brains are so brilliant, his writing's first rate his actings incredible isn't he great? We love him, we love him isn't he great? we love him, we love him, we love him!! Welcome to the Renaissance not the one in Italy, or in France, no the one in England, the one where William Shakespeare is the cream of the crop, the one where William Shakespeare is the top!! Welcome to Renaissance the 16th century experience in the age that's golden, the olden days are over, we bid them adieu, well, Halleu' Welcome to the Renaissance." _

 

I heard everyone clap really loudly after that one since that show was super hot right now. 

“That was lovely Keiko, absolutely fun.” I nodded and went to go and sit down. Eric went up next and I smiled at him from my spot that I was saving for him when he sat back down. 

“When I was ten years old, I came across a show that showed me it was perfectly okay to be queer and most of the time you just need to find the proper people to raise you up higher. That show was Kinky Boots. I saw it with my dad and my twin sister back in New York City and it was the original cast. It changed my life and helped me figure out just what I was as a person and how accept it more easily. The song that will be on the album is called Everybody Say Yeah.” He went through the cords singing about this factory that had gone through hard times but was about to become so much stronger with bigger and better ideas. He finished his number with applause and cheers from everybody in the room as he sat down next to me. 

“Is it weird that all of this is still sort of sinking in? Like I’m going to be Yitzhak a role that I sung in the shower or with headphones on. Oh my god how am I going to pull this off? That’s going to be really hard for me…” Eric was quick to put his arm around me and making quiet noises at me. 

“Sweetie I’m positive that once you find what makes your Yitzhak different from everybody else you’ll pull her off to be the most amazing one!!” 

“Better than Lena Hall?” 

“Much better, what most people don’t do very well is the pain. True he covers it amazingly well and simply puts on the role but you could make that pain real and realistic. It’s very similar to the relationship that you have with your mother. Just use that for the outline and the rest will come to you.” I heard the rest of the singers go and they were rather good but I was more contemplating how the hell I was going to pull off Yitzhak. I heard the rest of the actors come in from the outside including

“Hey mouse, I’ve got a proposition for you. We have a competition. If I lose I’ll switch to group B, but if you lose you have to switch so that I can get my old spot back.” I stiffened and heard Miss Mimi about to intervene. I took her spot though because I knew what I was capable of. 

“Fine Ivy, if it’ll get you to leave me the hell alone. I’ll take your deal but if I win also, you never speak to me again.” 

“Oh that’s more than a deal there mouse.” We shook on it and I went up on the stage smoothing out my skirt and adjusting my sweatshirt. 

“When I was nine years old, my dad had showed me a movie that would later on change the way that I thought about life in general. I would sing these songs just about everywhere I went and for some reason it would drive my mom up the wall maybe that’s why I did it. I wanted to be like these people and just be free to be myself if this movie, Hedwig And The Angry Inch taught me anything at all, it’s that sometimes people get shoved into roles. The submissive husband, the wife who is stuck in a man’s body. It’s about finding yourself and accepting the faults that most people say that you have.” I began to play one of my favorite songs Wicked Little Town. I thought about what Eric had told me to channel that pain and focus on what would make my Yitzhak different from everybody else before me. Lena Hall, the original Miriam Shor, Rebecca Naomi Jones or Shannon Conley. 

_ “You know, the sun is your eyes and hurricanes and rains and black and cloudy skies. You’re running up and down that hill you turn it on and off at will. There’s nothing here to thrill or bring you down. And if you’ve got no other choice you know you can follow my voice through the dark turns and noise of this wicked little town. Oh lady, luck has led you here and they’re so twisted up they’ll twist you up I fear. The pious, hateful and devout, you’re turning tricks till you’re turned out, the wind so cold it burns, you’re burning out and blowing round. And if you’ve got no other choice you know you can follow my voice through the dark turns and noise of this wicked little town. The fates are vicious and they’re cruel. You learn too late you’ve used two wishes like a fool and then you’re someone you are not and Bjelovar ain’t the spot, remember Mrs. Lot and when she turned around. And if you’ve got no other choice you know you can follow my voice through the dark turns and noise of this wicked little town…” _

I heard cheering from all angles of the theater and looked off to see Ivy scowling at me. 

“What?” I asked her as I got up off my piano chair. 

“Bjelovar isn’t a real place.” 

“Actually it is. It’s the cannon place where my favorite character Yitzhak was born and raised. Bjelovar Croatia.” 

“Still sounds fake.” 

“And that’s your opinion, does it make it the truth no.” I moved off the piano and went back to sit by Eric. 

“There’s no way that she’s going to beat that. You did just I recommended the pain was close to palpable.” He commented as he put his arm around my shoulders. 

“I was six when my mom took me to New York City for the first time for a business trip. She took me to see a musical called Bombshell.” Ivy mentioned to the audience as this cliche song began to play across the keys. 

“Talk about not emotive… You painted a picture with your story and the audience empathized with that story. Did you seriously do that?” Eric whispered to me as I watched Ivy perform. 

“Yes I did, everyday I would go to my room and start singing that soundtrack until it drove my mom nuts. She would come banging on my door to stop being a fucking queer.” I whispered back to him and his eyes went wide. 

“My mom did the same thing to me, it was the worst. Aren’t you starving though?” 

“Yeah I guess I’m rather hungry. I’m used to not eating a whole lot though. My mom was super picky about food, usually I made it for her and I ate nothing…” 

“Who made sure that you ate?” 

“My dad always made sure that I at least I ate breakfast with him in his room at the house during the weekdays and out for breakfast during the weekends when my mom was too hungover to really care about where I went.” Ivy finished her number to moderate applause and Miss Mimi took the stage.

“Alright both of our ladies have gone for their songs. Let’s hear it for Keiko for winning our hearts with a Yitzhak version of the ever popular Wicked Little Town!!” I heard the audience cheer for me and my song. 

“Now Ivy with her song from Bombshell.” I noticed how much shorter her’s was then mine was and a lot less cheering really only her friends really cheered for her from the different teams that they were on. 

“It looks like we have our winner for the sing off, our winner is Keiko Sohma our future Yitzhak who’s sure to blow people’s minds next spring when she brings him to life.” Yeah and I couldn’t wait to bring him to life and change the way that I thought about him and life in general. 

* * *

_ The next few months leading up Waitress were an absolute crazy time. I had a ton of sleepovers with Eric and today his father and sister are coming down to see the opening night of Waitress. Most of my friends were coming as well. Satsuki, Kyoko of course had front row seats just like I promised them. My relationship with Yuki was still going just as beautifully as it used to be and he Kyo have fixed most of the issues that had plagued their friendship since we were little. Momiji was coming tonight as well as my dad and they would be meeting Eric after the show. I couldn't wait for them to met one another because they were going to perfect for one another.  _

The sound of my alarm brought me out of my head. It was now half hour and I needed to still fix up my wig and get costumed for the show. I heard a knock on my door and knew that it must be Connie my hairdresser. 

"Come on in Connie!!" 

"Happy opening night!!" She had my wig in her hands and it looked just like Jenna's wig in the original cast. 

"Thank you so much for everything Con, you've been a lifesaver these past couple of months." 

"It's no big deal." She pin-curled my hair and then put the wig on my head while attaching my microphone to my head. 

"Alright you're all good to go!! Knock 'em dead out there it's a full house." I gulped and took the same deep breathing exercises that Eric and I always went through before every show as I got on my waitress uniform. I tied the apron and realized that it was just about curtain time. I got out of my spacious dressing room and smiled at the people that I passed. I waited for the Miss Mimi's introduction and smiled when I felt Eric's supportive arm around my shoulders. 

"Nervous?" He mouthed and I made a hand motion. 

"Fifty, fifty ask me when we do Hedwig in a couple of months." He laughed silently at that and the curtains went up and so did the lights as I stepped onto the stage to the rapturous amount of cheering. I waited for the band to begin the first song and heard the opening notes of my first number. Taking a deep breath I began the song that changed my life in the simplest way. 

_"Sugar, sugar, sugar, butter, sugar, butter, sugar, butter, sugar, butter, flour, sugar, butter, flour, sugar, butter, flour, sugar, butter flour. My hands pluck the things I know that I need I take this sugar and butter from the pantry. I add the flour to begin what I am hoping to start and then it's down with the recipe and bake with my heart. Sugar and butter and flour and other... What's inside, everyone what's inside and I always tell them that I feel more than I can say. They want to know what's inside simple question tell me what's inside in this kitchen baking what a mess I'm making..."_ The audience clapped as we began our next number which was one of my favorites through the entire show. I cried with the audience and felt like I was meant to play this part for an audience. When we reached the final bows we had our band just play around with the music from the show and our ensemble went first. After the ensemble we saw our Dawn and Becky who became two of my closest friends around here. Then went Marcus who was my Earl loving every minute of the attention and was super nice to me. Finally Eric got his running start and clicked his heels together laughing all the way. I put the little girl, named Emmy who was my daughter in the show on my shoulders. 

"Ready for this sweet thing?" She nodded excitedly and I went out into the spotlight hearing everybody both on my team and in the audience whopping and hollering at me. I bowed after getting Emmy off my shoulders who ran to Eric who she became really great friends with. We cheered for the band in the pit as well and Miss Mimi came out from the front row to give me a bunch of flowers. 

"Thank you for this opportunity Miss Mimi..." I told her before she gave the final out speech. 

"Thank you all so much for coming to see our show, these are an amazing group of students who gave their heart and soul to these parts. Especially my Jenna Keiko Sohma, this was her first show coming from a rather bad place so I was a tad bit skeptical when I read her letter of introductions. But then I watched her demo of She Used To Be Mine, and I was bawling my eyes out by the end of the video. She worked so hard these past few months to bring this character to life with her heart and soul. She always brings a smile to a role no matter how big or how small. Welcome to the team Keiko." I gave her a giant hug as Eric hugged me after laughing with me. We walked off stage and the first thing to go was my wig which I left on the head for my character and Connie to pick up later. I changed into the winter uniform thankfully with the long-sleeved. I heard a knock on my door expecting it to be Yuki, Kyo, Tohru, Shigure, my dad and Momiji. 

"Come on in guys!!" Yuki opened the door and I was in his arms in the next second. 

"You were so fantastic my love, you really brought the audience to tears. Even Kyo here was crying." He teased my best friend and Kyo rolled his eyes. 

"Gee thanks for the backup there rat boy, that was super helpful..." My dad was the next person to give me a massive hug along with my brother nearly knocking me over. 

"You were so beautiful up there sissy... Who played Dr. Jim Pomatter by the way?" I laughed at my brothers question and shifted in my dad's embrace. 

"His name is Eric Williamson, he's amazing one of my best friends here if not my best friend. And before you ask yes he is gay and interested in you. I may or may not have told him about you." My dad was the next person to comment on my night so far. 

"You were so amazing baby girl, it was so beautiful, you're Yitzhak is bound to be even better." 

"You're going to be playing Yitzhak?!" My brother protested and I smiled at him. 

"Yes I am I was planing on surprising you thank you dad for spoiling that one." They all let me go and I took Momiji down to Eric's dressing room. I found it rather easily it had a poster saying 'yes I am the doctor.' I found out a few months into our friendship that he was a massive Whovian and loved the modern episodes which I loved as well. I did the shave and a haircut from Rodger Rabbit and heard him pound back his side of the door. 

"Hi Eric, that was a really great show." He gave me a massive hug. 

"Me awesome? Honey did you see yourself out there?! You brought that damn house down!!" Momiji shifted behind me. Usually he wasn't nervous in front of people but in front of a cute boy he didn't stand a chance. 

"This is my younger brother that I told you about, Momiji would you come out from behind me, this was your idea." He gave me his best impression of our dad's death glare as he moved in front of me. 

"My name is Momiji Sohma and anything she told that's bad about me it wasn't true." I laughed at him. 

"Like I would say anything bad about my little brother." He scuffed when I fluffed his hair and Eric was still spacing out. 

"Eric!!" He snapped out of his daydream like state and I grinned. This was going to be one of the best ideas that I had ever came up with. They would be absolutely perfect for one another. 

"Sorry about that, I-I'm Eric nice to met you Momiji." He was blushing as he shook my brothers hand and I smiled at them watching them laugh and joke around with one another. I walked with them and my family members combined with his dad and twin sister to a local restaurant for a celebration. 

* * *

_Shortly after the events of our one month long Waitress run our production of Hedwig And The Angry Inch began to be set underway. Our cast was full of boys from our team Skszp was Marcus loving every minute of playing his electric guitar, Jacek was played by a friend of mine Nicolas, Krzyzhtoff_    _was Chris and he spent a week just trying to say his name it was hilarious since he had never seen the movie, and finally our Schlatko was played by group B's team leader who was a massive Hedwig fan named Brain. The hardest part was for me putting on the makeup to make me look like a guy, but I always laugh when Eric comes in just Hedwig makeup for a selfie. He and my brother have been together for almost five months and they are super adorable together just like I thought they would be._

I heard Connie yet again knocking on my door this time on hair plus makeup. 

"Hey Connie, doors open!!" She came in with the black haired wig that was my idea I wanted the look of Lena Hall's Yitzhak but to create my own personality for him. 

"If it isn't my favorite young actress." She told me as she started using the grey palate to make my features more square. 

"Shut up!!" I heard another knock and knew that this was Eric here to interview me for his vlog that Miss Mimi had both of us doing. 

"Doors open!!" I called out to him and he came in wearing his costume already. 

****"Yitzhak you're slacking!!" I laughed at his craziness and his not even trying german accent. It was actually really good during the show but right now it was just so stereotypical.

"Oh my god, that was so bad. Not my fault my makeup is way easier than your's is." I tried to keep a straight face as Connie did my eyebrows. 

"Both of our prep is actually really different. Tell me a little bit about your's?"

"My prep is mostly mental since I try to get into my version of Yitzhak's headspace. True the accent as well is rather tricky and I have to spend most of my makeup and hair prep talking like he does just to get the feel of it. Your's consists of a lot of makeup like to a clown degree." I joked and he laughed at me in his full on lipstick and huge blond wig. He also had on stiletto heels that he had to walk around for three months in just to get used to them. 

"Leave the clown makeup alone you know you love it. I'll let you get dressed though." He left the room and Connie finished my wig and makeup. 

"Thank you as always Connie you're a queen!!" 

"Have a great show!!" She took her supplies and left the room. I went to get my fishnets and packer on more steals from Lena becauseI thought that they really fit with Yitzhak's character. Trying to keep the parts of him that loved the life of being a drag-queen under his regular clothes. I put on the three tank-tops to try to make more male than female. I then put on the leather jacket and suit plus metal tie with the black jeans and black combat boots. After lacing those up I went up the stairs after taking some deep breaths to get myself in his mindset.  _You're back with mom just pretend that you're back there. That's the pain that you need to make this character your own. Just remember that you love this show and pretending to be this man is your dream. It's not like Lena Hall or John Cameron Mitchel are out there right now._ I raced up the stairs to try  not to be late and saw the band members were already there. 

"You guys ready for this?" I whispered in my Croatian accent and they all smiled at me. 

"Yeah let's do this thing." Eric instructed and since I was out there first for Beautiful I saw two very familiar faces in the front row. Lena Hall and John Cameron Mitchel right there. I was internally freaking out but pushed the fangirl in me down as I said the first few lines. 

"Ladies and gentlemen whether you like it or not... Hedwig!!" I heard the band backup to do Beautiful and into one of my favorite songs in the entire show as Eric came out onstage and the entire audience went nuts. 

_"I was born on the other side of a town ripped in two I made it over the great divide now I'm coming for you. Enemies and adversaries they try and tear me down you want me baby I dare you try and tear me down. I rose from off of the doctors slab like Lazarous from the pit now everyone wants to take a stab and decorate me with blood, graffiti and spit enemies and adversaries they try and tear me down you want me baby I dare you try and tear me down. (Me) On august thirteenth nineteen sixty one a wall was erected down the middle of city of Berlin. The world was divided by a cold war and the Berlin wall was the most hated symbol of that divide reviled, graffitied, spit upon.  We thought the wall would stand forever but now that it's gone we don't know who we are anymore. Ladies and gentlemen, Hedwig is like this wall, standing before you in the divide between east and west, slavery and freedom, man and women, top and bottom. And you can try and tear her down but before you do you must remember one thing. (Eric) Listen there ain't much of difference between a bridge and a wall without me right in the middle, babe you would be nothing at all.  (Both but me trying to stand out at least) Enemies and adversaries they try and tear me down you want me, baby I dare you go and tear me down..."_ We finished to massive amounts of applause from the entire audience. 

"Thank you!! Thank you, you're so sweet. I do love a warm hand on my entrance. My name is Hedwig. Please welcome the Angry Inch!! And my man Friday through Thursday Yitzhak!!" He cut in front of me just as we blocked and stole all my thunder for the clapping and I just sighed as was scripted. We went through the entire show from Origin Of Love, Sugar Daddy my voice actually worked with me this time in my impersonation of Luther, When Love Explodes one of my all time favorites since it was one of my only solo's in the entire show, Angry Inch in all it's angsty sense of vibe, Wig In A Box with catchy notes and the way it was staged I was playing the piano for Eric, Wicked Little Town which we changed a little bit since I had this idea of Yitzhak finally asking for a solo during the show, The Long Grift which was one of the most heart wrenching lyrics, Hedwig's lament which Eric rocked along with it's transition into Exquisite  Corpse, Wicked Little Town as Tommy Genos and finally my big finish in the same butterfly dress with the corset big wig, and high heeled shoes. I heard the audience go wild as our band bowed first then myself which got more applause than even my Jenna role. Eric's applause was some of the loudest things that I have ever heard and when he drew me into a giant hug and wrapped his arms around me when we bowed together I saw tears in his eyes same as mine. We migrated to the backstage and I was interrupted by a knocking at my door. My family and friends all had things to do tonight so I had no clue as to who was on the other side of that door. 

"The door is open..." I took a swig of my water as I saw Lena Hall and John Cameron Mitchel standing in my doorway. 

"N-No freaking way... I mean I thought I saw you guys in the front row but I figured I was just so excited to be playing this role that I had imagined you guys there." I stuttered over my words and blushed when I heard myself babbling. 

"We just wanted to say that you were absolutely beautiful out there. How did you get his pain down to such a science?" Lena asked me giving me a hug that probably got a ton of glitter on her both from my face and my dress. 

"Well, I had an abusive mother who was pretty much Hedwig on a ton of alcohol. So Eric just told me to channel that when I got cast as Yitzhak I paincked because how the hell was I going to make mine different from your's which I've admired since I was about thirteen. He told me that what nobody ever really fully channeled was the pain that comes through having that kind of marriage to a person." John stepped into my side view and gave me a hug too. 

"You were absolutely stunning out there, if I ever revive Hedwig you're it. There's no doubt about that." I blushed at the amount of praise that I was receiving. 

"T-Thanks a lot. That really means a lot to me, I saw Hedwig when I was nine and on DVD with my father and my little brother so it changed my life in a lot of ways. Oh my god, Eric will freak the hell out." I lead them down the hallway to Eric's pink room. I did the shave and a haircut and heard his reply only to open the door and see his father and twin sister. 

"Eric, you're going to freak out when you hear what I have to tell you. Lena Hall and John Cameron Mitchel were just in the audience!!" 

"There's no way, you're lying to me and that's not at all funny." He rolled his eyes at me and they came out from behind me. 

"Believe her now? You were absolutely astounding out there." John commented him and Lena stayed in the hall with me. 

"I especially loved what you guys did with Wicked Little Town, who wrote out that scene?" 

"That was me and Eric together. We have musical sleepovers and late one night we got this idea. What if Wicked Little Town was Yitzhak's song and Hedwig stole it because it was just way too good? Since to me the positioning of Long Grift never really made sense. I wanted to it to make sense for an audience so I wrote in my own dialogue and so did Eric." I explained with a smile as John came out into the hallway switching places with Lena. 

"What you did with Wicked Little Town was seriously brilliant, I just wanted to tell you that." 

"Thanks that means a lot to me coming from you. What are you doing here anyway?" 

"I was invited by your Miss Mimi, she wanted me to come and see you and your best friend in there. Said that you two would blow my mind, I invited Lena since she always was my best Yitzhak. Course that's been replaced now." 

"That's a lie, she's always going to be my favorite..." 

"But you should see the merits of what you just did out there. Lena could never really channel the pain that well. She always had a hard time with that quality about him. He's had to be so strong for so long. Part of the reason why I think she loved that performance is because she noticed that you did things that she couldn't figure out herself. I'm very sorry about your mother by the way..." 

"Don't worry about it John, I'm in a much better place right now. God what is my father going to to say when I tell him that I met the John Cameron Mitchel. You're sort of infamous in my family." I then got an idea but I wanted to ask his permission before I did. 

"Do you mind if I call my dad? I'm sure that he won't believe me otherwise." He laughed at me and sent me a bright smile. 

"Of course you can, where was he tonight?" 

"Ugh... He was helping my mom. They were never married it's complicated." He put an arm around my shoulders in a comforting way. 

"I'm so sorry that your family has to deal with her. Why don't you give him a call then? I'm sure that he would love for me to sing your praises." I blushed as I found my dad's contact information and as usual he picked up within the first couple of rings. 

_"Hello Hatori Sohma here, who's calling?"_ He sounded so absolutely dead inside and I wanted to comfort him so badly. I put him on speaker. 

"Dad? You sound like hell it's me." 

_"Oh honey, I'm sorry it's been a long night. We'll take about me later, how was opening night? I'm so so sorry that I missed it I'll be there tomorrow I promise."_

"Dad, calm down please. Opening night went absolutely fantastic as you told me that it would go. I actually have something to tell you and I knew that you wouldn't ever believe me if I didn't get him on the phone with you-" I was interrupted by him. 

"I'm sorry you were babbling again." I heard my dad gasp on the other end of the line. 

_"Is that?"_

"Yes it is!! Both him and Lena Hall are here tonight dad." 

"I wanted to tell you that you have a genius of a daughter. Seriously she just surpassed Lena Hall on the Yitzhak favorite scale and I try not to pick favorites since they all mean a lot to me. But, she was able to bring the pain that Yitzhak has to go through on a daily basis to a whole new light. Plus what she did with Wicked Little Town was perfect, I'm thinking about adding that to the actual book. I'll have Stephen come by and see the show tomorrow night and we'll talk then, hell I might even buy another ticket." I laughed at John I never really thought I would ever met him in real life. I mean I dreamed about it sure, and it was always kind of a bucket list thing. 

_"I uh I please do, I'm insanely jealous of you right now Kei. I'm the one who got you into him in the first place. Momiji is really angry right now too- Yeah what the hell sissy!! You didn't tell me that John Cameron Mitchel was coming tonight!!"_

"Well excuse me, I didn't know Miss Mimi wanted to surprise me. He might be back tomorrow so you can met him than. Jesus you fanboys!! Cool your jets!!" John just laughed at me and my family members when Lena Hall came out of the dressing room. She raised her eyebrows at me but I mouthed my dad and she nodded. 

"I'll let you guys go, I love you both so much. I'll see you both tomorrow!!" I bid them goodbyes and they did the same to me. It took me a moment to look back and think that this was my life. That I was free finally of that house and that I could finally be myself and be loved for it.    _  
_

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all!! This is the fanfiction that I have pretty much dreamed of writing since I really got into this series. This is one of the very few fanfics that have lasted over two months of writing since it was really hard to write this type of character.


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